


In My Hands the Means

by NightingaleManor



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Biblical References, Cannibalism, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, F/M, Gen, Graphic Description of Corpses, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Murder, Platonic Romance, Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 23:52:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 67,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightingaleManor/pseuds/NightingaleManor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>L has asked Myles, someone who has assisted him in previous cases, to step in once again when a thread of murders occurs in the Kanto region.  Every Saturday at about 6 o'clock in the evening in four varying locations, four people are killed in the exact same way. Soon L finds that Myles is connected to the case in a way he never imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Myles

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains French, German, and Latin in some places and I would like to ask you to tell me if I have wrongly translated anything while also sending me the proper translation. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Myles  
Actibus immensis urbs fulget Massiliensis  
As I lay on the floor staring up at my ceiling I wonder how I got there in the first place. Then the memory replays in my mind that I had stayed up all night again working on a case with L.   
It was something I had been doing for the past week.   
I was someone who typically worked alone but I made an exception with him. Every now and then I helped him with his last couple of cases over the years including the Kira case. My guess was he was comfortable working with me since I was more than used to his oftentimes unorthodox methods of doing things. Then again, he was used to my habit of falling asleep at the most random and inconvenient moments.  
The Kira case had nearly killed him, if not for my insistence on him making certain choices. War would have left himself wide open for the kill had those words not been exchanged.  
L’s current case involved a murder that appeared to (once again) consist of more than one person. There were at least four people working together in this new disaster. As a bit of a literal term the case had earned the title of ‘The Quad Murders of Tokyo’ because it seemed that one day out of the week, four bodies would pop up in four totally different areas.  
"Good evening, Myles."   
The sudden words made me jump and turn my head in all directions. My hands reached up to find that I was still wearing my headset.  
"L." I muttered almost questioningly looking at the screen with the bold letter on it. . I have known him for many years but have never actually met him face to face. Whenever he had a case he wanted assistance on, I usually ended up getting involved after an anonymous message from him. For a least a decade or two, he’s been known as the world’s greatest detective because he solved cases around the world... as long as he was personally interested in them. He was an odd sort of genius, though, with strange quirks and a knack for stating the obvious every now and then. In a way, he was the closest thing I had to a friend.

"I hope you slept well. You fell asleep while explaining a thought again." The distorted voice said.  
"Yes, thank you...and I'm sorry about that." I chuckled sheepishly.  
"It's fine. Do you remember what we were talking about before you dozed off? It sounded like you had come up with a plan of some sort."  
"A plan..." I let my voice trail off.  
"Well, think about it while you get something to eat. It's the best idea since you just woke up." My head snapped in the direction of the laptop.  
"How'd you guess that?"  
"Your breathing pattern changed. If it wasn't for that I never would've known." He explained, and I nodded more to myself than to him.  
"Yeah, you're right, I guess. Be back in an hour then." I replied removing my headset and walking into the kitchen. L and I weren't all that different. We solved cases for a living, were proven geniuses, and hardly knew anything personal about the other. For example, he knew nothing of my boyfriend Avent, my age, or even my gender. As for him I didn't know of any significant others he might have, his age, or about any family he might have. Things like that. We definitely haven't seen each other's faces. He lived in Japan and I lived in Marseille.  
Now don't get me wrong I've often wondered about meeting him and working with him in London (where he mentioned growing up), seeing the sites there, and, well... finding someone that shares my hunger to see that criminals pay for what they do. I didn't know about L but I had grown up with a strong sense of justice...which is why I am here now, sipping deliciously sweet, hot, creamer-filled coffee trying to thoroughly contemplate something that no one would usually want any part in.  
Taking a sip and walking over to the table in my living room, I look over the pictures L sent me via fax. They were pictures of the two group murders that had gone on in the past week. They seemed to happen every Saturday at exactly six PM...well, so far at least. Personally, I believed we didn't have enough information to make assumptions just yet and I didn't care how accurate L's assumptions usually were. To me there was always a possibility that something could change and screw up every conclusion we've come to.  
My phone rang and I saw that it was Avent. He was just the person I didn’t want to see. I didn’t exactly have time for this. People were being murdered.  
": Hello, Avent.:" I answered dully. Why couldn’t he leave me alone right now? I was in the middle of a murder with no leads or possible suspects.  
": Hey, I'm coming over for a bit. Hope you don't mind." He replied. I walked over to my door and opened it to see him standing there.  
": Do I have a choice?:" I inquired into the phone rhetorically.  
": Not really.:" I hung up and stood in my doorway just staring at the man I had met through an old ex-friend who wanted to get me out of the house. Avent was nineteen, but looked a bit younger, with his large eyes that were a deep blue and his bright blonde hair, light and soft to the touch. It was cut short and went down to just the top of his ears, having the slightest curl that I used to love to twirl around my finger. Looking at him now in a foreign light after hearing what he did. The air between us was different now... tense, but he probably didn’t even suspect that I knew. I waited for him to speak first just to see what he would say. Why was he here anyway? Didn’t he know I was working?  
": What are you doing here, Avent? I just woke up and I need to-":"  
": Don't say work! You've been doing that nonstop for the past week.:" Avent cut off. To think he used to complain about me not working enough. I know this is a complaint in and of itself but humans complain too much. A light bulb flipped on in my head when I realized he was testing the waters between us. He wanted to see if Mimi had told me. His voice and eagerness to cut through conversation told me that he was hiding something... or a few things.  
": That's because when I do work I do until the job is done.:" My simple shrug made him pause.  
": Aren't you going to let me in?:" He questioned and I sighed. So, he didn’t think anything was up. This was only going to make things more difficult.  
": Yeah, sure. Come on in, but give me a minute, okay? I need to close things down for a bit.:" I told him before disappearing into my room once more.  
"L, I need to go. I'll talk to you about this as soon as possible. Right now I have something to...attend to." I made sure to word it right.  
"I'll hold you to that." He muttered before I turned everything off.  
": What is it you do, anyways?:" Avent inquired as I walked into the kitchen and sat next to him. His posture was attempting to not look as strained as it was... and was that cologne I smelt from him?  
": I work on things that interest me.:" I stated. How was I going to go about breaking up with him? My boyfriends’ usually broke up with me because of lack of communication in the relationship (because of work) or because they had found I wasn’t a person of many good qualities.  
": Like what?:" Avent said with his mouth full of beignets he had brought with him.  
"Like poisons, symbols, and psychopaths." I muttered under my breath. I had never told him of my little job because of the risks that came with it, and it wasn’t like he was over every day so I didn’t have to work too hard to hide it. I could be an otaku for all he knew. Not like he ever paid any particular attention to it.  
": What was that?:" He asked and I was so glad that he didn't know English.  
": Oh, nothing. These beignets are amazing.:" I gushed in an attempt to throw him off topic. There was a deeply seeded need to find out more about this man’s intentions.  
": Thought it might help me buy my way into your house for the day.:" Avent grinned with his blue eyes sparkling; he wanted something.  
": Now why would you have to do that?:" It wasn’t like I didn’t already know or even that I was suspicious... it was actually kind of obvious when I thought it all out without the case jumping my brain. This guy was hardly worth the brain power.  
": I had a feeling I wouldn't be let in otherwise.:" This wasn't about the beignets. I’d hardly even noticed he had them when he walked in with my mind focused on the data I had been putting together in my head from the case. Was it cheating if I thought about another guy more than him when the guy I was always thinking about wasn't my boyfriend? I didn't think so, since I just so happened to be working a case with War. To me it just seemed to be inevitable to think about War when I thought about a case.  
": Why do I have a feeling that there is more to this than you are telling me?:" My question made him smile and I could swear that I saw a twinkle in his eye. Did he really think he was home free?  
": Well, I was in the neighborhood and thinking of you, so...:" His voice trailed off.   
": You want sex.:" I finished bluntly, and his eyes snapped to my face; how typical. He had been sending me signals through his actions and I had avoided each and every attempt as swiftly as possible. It had really only been a matter of time before he actually decided to try telling me. He had never been the type to be straight forward... or very perceptive. It was a bit hard to believe he was trying to get me to sleep with him after the call I got from Mimi. Now that I knew how much he was trying to milk this...I had all I needed.  
": I had a feeling it would be like this.:"  
": We're in a relationship and your friends love me...:" The excuses he made up often times worked, but then later on I went back and actually thought about the things he said I found that it was all just a part of his bullshit plan to get me to do something or other.   
In this case, it was sleep with him.  
": Of course my friends love you, Avent. You're so charming and kind when they're around.:" I hoped that my sarcastic mocking and the look in my own eyes sent the proper message. I didn't even know why I was with him anymore. I used to think I loved him enough to even marry him, but now just the thought of sleeping with him made me sick.  
": Is there someone else?:" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me and I could sense the dangerousness of his question. This was another sign Mimi hadn’t been lying the last time her and I had a phone call because Avent would only ever ask such a thing out of guilt; he tended to use psychological projection and get defensive without realizing.  
": No, I just don't want to sleep with you.:" Knowing the things I said frequently angered the people around me never seemed to stop me from saying them, so the deep frown on his face didn't surprise me one bit.  
": Well, if there isn't someone else then why won't you sleep with me?:" Even if I had someone else, I still think he’d try it... considering what I heard from Mimi.  
": Do you really want me to tell you? I won’t sugarcoat it for you.:" Warning him what I was about to say next was something I did often. This time, though, I had a feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy what I said afterwards nearly as much as the other times.  
": It took a bit of thinking but I have come to the conclusion I’m not in love with you. I have no attraction to you whatsoever and I'm sorry for wasting both of our time. Please leave now so I can get back to work.:" Okay, I know I could have said that in a nicer tone, but I didn't want to seem like I cared when I didn't. I was sick of his crap.  
": That's it? You're just going to break up with me because I want to sleep with you and you don't feel the same way?:"  
": No, there are other reasons.:"  
": Like what?:" I knew it was a bad idea to say it but he was literally asking for it.   
": You're boring and ridiculously impatient when it comes to something you want. Also, you're manipulative and don't even try to understand that some things about my life are personal. You lack the ability to give me space." Now that I said it, I felt great and even smiled.  
": You're insensitive, crass, and overly secretive. I can't even being to explain to you how often you let your pride control you...not to mention your job." He retorted, and I shrugged.  
": At least I'm faithful.:" Made him stop in his tracks, and the triumph he had started to feel was probably leaving him faster than it had built up.  
": Mimi told me everything last night through tears; she wouldn't stop apologizing. Now, if you're done throwing a fit,:" I sighed." could you please leave? I really do need to get back to work.:" His face changed after I let him know I had been informed of his little rendezvous.  
": I didn't fucking cheat on you with Mimi. That bitch was probably drunk when she decided to call you and make up that shit.:" Avent fumed.  
": How long have we been together, Avent? I believe it has been almost a year. Don't you think that's enough time for me to be able to tell when you're lying and when you aren't?:" He wasn’t drunk now. It wasn’t something he did... or anyone else I knew for that matter.   
Not in France.  
": You don't know anything about me. You're always in your room.:" Was he really going to try that? I stayed home most of the time, but I wasn't always in my room. This was about the time where that cute boyishness of his faded to bratty five year old.  
": You're doing it now too. You aren't looking me in the eye and seem to have become extremely fidgety. You keep your hands crossed over your chest protectively and have moved what seems to be a comfortable distance away from me. All are things you do when you're lying.:" He glanced at his arms, uncrossed them, and glared at me.  
": So, you're just going to push me out of your life?:" This was reaching the level of ridiculous tantrum quickly.  
": Technically speaking, yes. Please, don't forget that this was your fault and your choice...screwing it up anyway.:" Then I turned to walk back into my room only to be grabbed and pushed into the wall roughly. Avent's lips were on mine soon after and if the circumstances were different, it might have turned me on, but...  
": I'm sorry, babe. We were drunk, okay? She doesn't mean anything to me.:" He pressed himself against me and I turned my head away from him as his hands moved to my waist. This was different from what I had been expecting him to do. Knowing him and the way he was he should have already slammed to door on his way out muttering profanity under his breath.  
": Forgive me, will you?:" I could feel his hot breath on my neck and that's about the time I saw his eyes. His pupils were so dilated I almost couldn’t see the blue of his eyes. I couldn’t tell before since his eyes were naturally dark.  
"You're high!" I exclaimed as I tried pushing him away with all my strength. I knew I had spoken English but I don't think it would have mattered either way. This also explained why he reeked of cologne; he never would’ve doused himself in with a clear mind.  
": Come on...:" He trailed before I felt one of his hands slip under my shirt.  
": Avent, I know you're high but this is rape.:" My voice was cold as I stood there rigid and unresponsive. He pushed himself away from me almost immediately, giving me a look of what looked to be astonished anger.  
": Fine, I'll leave. Mimi was probably better than you would have been, anyways.:" Avent sneered before walking out the door and slamming it behind him. That was how he usually got when he didn't get his way. I then realized I had tears running down my face and was hyperventilating. I had dealt with so much worse from exes so I found myself unable to comprehend why I was actually reacting this dramatically. After five minutes, when I could move again, I drank some water and sighed. How long had Avent been doing drugs? That was something I had not expected him to do...the drugs or the near rape incident.  
"I need to get back to work." I ordered myself, shaking off what had happened only a minute ago.  
"I don't have time to have an emotional breakdown." It was hard for me to deal with emotions, especially my own. I was a thinker not a feeler. I had learned years ago that dissociating from my emotions was easier to do than dealing with them as straight forwardly as I had dealt with Avent.  
When I strolled back over to the table and looked at the paper, I noticed this case looked vaguely familiar. I picked them up and brought them into my room as I seemed to do better while either sitting on the floor or in other odd ways. I plopped down on my bum and practically burned a hole into the pictures as I wracked the brain I already had working overtime for anything likely to fill in the blanks.   
Painful images flew through my head causing me to flinch and I pushed the written data I had gathered on the case out of my way. I was only minutely surprised Avent hadn't noticed them lying in the open when he was so curious as to what I did.   
Then again he did have something else in mind when he showed up.  
The way I saw it, he had just been seeing if he had been able to get away with it. Mimi had been drugged... probably while they were out drinking. She was a social drinker but not a drunk, which was why I wasn’t pissed at her. If anything, I was thankful to her for helping me find out his true nature. I wouldn’t have to deal with him bugging me again anytime soon either.  
"Typical man." I uttered under my breath before glancing at the papers again and not only did the images fly across my conscious again, but I knew why.  
I had seen almost the exact same case before.  
________________________________________  
I was surprised when Myles signed back on just twenty minutes after saying they had something to deal with.  
"Have you Googled their behavior?" Even with their voice distorter Myles sounded off. Myles was usually very calm, collected, and pleasant to talk to since we both shared the trait of speaking our mind even when it wasn’t favorable to. I mulled over possible reasons for the change in Myles's tone, but had little to work with.  
From the first words they spoke it was apparent I was not only right, but they would not give in easily if simply asked. Though, I’d worked with them more than even Misora Naomi, I knew little about them. This change in them may prove unpredictable and thus become an issue.  
"No, I haven't. Something in your voice has changed, are you alright?" I questioned, and they sighed.  
"No, I'm not, but I would like to keep my reason for being so to myself." I pondered this tugging at my bottom lip with my index finger.   
"Very well. So have you remembered what you were going to tell me last night?" There was a brief silence on the other side.  
"Yeah, give me a few more seconds. I'm looking it up now." The sound of clicking keys met my ears and I waited for them to speak again.  
"They're sacrificial killings..." I heard them mumble.  
"Where did you find this?" If I knew what they looked like I could probably picture them shake their head on the other line.  
"About ten years ago something similar happened around France. This very part of it, actually. Many became victim to it as the people are chosen specifically and are all connected in some way."  
"Why are you just now telling me this?" I heard Watari push in a cart of sweets and plucked some dango from it.  
I hadn’t thought there’d be a possibility of this being a copycat.  
"Because I just now remembered it...it happened ten years ago, L. My memory has never been terrific and this isn't exactly something I love to reminisce about." Cold statements like that made it hard for me to think they were lying.  
"I understand, Myles. I did not mean to offend, I am simply being cautious. You do realize how farfetched this sounds." I heard them sigh again.  
"I know...it's just this case brings back gruesome memories you couldn't even begin to comprehend unless you had dealt with it yourself." There was more to this than they were explaining.  
"How are they connected?" I asked, changing the subject while munching on the dango.  
"It is not easy to explain. The victims all have what one of the murderers claimed to be ' pure innocence'. What doesn't make sense is these people were caught years ago and are all deceased. Do you suppose this could be a copy cat murder?"Myles seemed to know this was quite a reach, but was right to ask as we couldn’t risk overlooking something.  
"If that is what it is... then these new murderers are connected to the original murderers. Meaning they are either immediate relatives or close family knowledgeable of what they were doing ten years ago and decided to do this again now thinking everyone forgot about it and wouldn't suspect them. Though if this is true then it would also mean we have to look for these people within the Kanto region." I stared at the ceiling as I mulled the possibility of this over.  
"How likely is it that this is true?" They inquired quietly.  
"Nearly fourty percent." I answered flippantly, throwing a number out there.  
"It sounds higher, but now all we need is proof and before that...how they find out what is considered ' pure innocence'... the ages are averaged between sixteen and twenty-three. People that are truly pure and innocent are rare in this world enough as it is..." Their voice faded off.  
"Do you know their motive?"  
"Sacrificing them to God by convincing them they’re too good for this world before they kill them." Their voice was flat yet disturbed. Someone close to them had probably been murdered during the case that went on ten years ago. This was likely to have been the reason they became emotionally withdrawn. I took a short look at the clock provided at the bottom right of the screen, reading that it was one in the morning. Myles and I had been talking for almost five hours now as they had woken around eight or nine in the evening. They usually fell asleep sometime between six and eight A.M. and I knew this because I had actually started to mentally document the exact times in which they fell asleep in the past week.  
"Could you send me any of the evidence you have obtained at the crime scenes?" I then heard them ask. "It will help me to remember how they killed them ten years ago, if it was done the same way as before." They explained.  
My gaze fell on Watari, who had heard it and he nodded, understanding my silent order.  
"It's being packaged as we speak." I told them.   
"Thank you, L." A few moments later they added." I need some wine...I think I'll have red this time." This was so common for them to murmur, I knew it as a craving of theirs that seemed to help their thought process. After hearing some shuffling, I knew they no longer had their headset on and were likely in their kitchen again. They didn't seem to eat much. In the last five hours all they had eaten was their version of breakfast but I had no idea what that consisted of.  
"Watari, I want you to know I’ll soon request that Myles come to Tokyo and when they agree to do so I would like for you to pick them up from the airport." He smiled and nodded.  
"Of course." About fifteen minutes later I heard more shuffling.  
"L, there is something else I want to tell you about this case, but can’t right now as I would lose my breakfast. It is only somewhat likely to happen anyways."  
"What do you mean?" I had gone through several dozen dango and was now building with the sticks as though they were Lincoln logs. I had already started a base for the box I was almost absently making.  
"I mean it’s likely this will get worse than it is now after the tenth Saturday." One of the sticks almost rolled out of place, nearly ruining my stick box.  
"Myles, would it be too much to ask if I requested you fly down to Tokyo?" The hesitant pause was expected.  
"Yes." I turned my eyes to the computer screen.  
"Why?"  
"Because you don’t need me there. The Task Force you assembled is much more effective than I would be." Their words were said simply and yet there seemed to be more to his/her reason.  
"They specialize in a different area than you do, Myles. You are more learned in computer technology than any of them, you would be less of an emotional asset as you seem to have them very well controlled (for the most part), and your intelligence is needed here."  
"I do not want to go." They restated." I live here, work here, and am most comfortable with these surroundings. Also...out of all of the things you mentioned about me none of them would be any more effective if I went to Tokyo." I listened to their reasoning carefully and placed another dango stick onto the unsteady, more 3-D square in front of me.  
"We do need you here, Myles. Things would go much faster and be much more efficient if you were here to see and hear everything that goes on during this case. I do not like explaining evidence, plans, and the sort more than once if I can help it. It is a waste of time and energy." I heard her sigh, making it clear that she was about to surrender.  
"Fine, L. You win. I'll see you in Tokyo."  
"Pack now and leave within the next few hours. Find the soonest flight and get a ticket to board it."  
"I know, I know." They sounded almost teasing as they drank what I assumed to be the wine they mentioned before.  
"I wonder if I'll be able to surprise you." Was the last thing I heard before I saw a box pop up onto the screen that said disconnected in size twelve Old English text MT font.  
________________________________________  
I was half asleep when I sat in my reserved spot. It had taken me two hours to get driven here as I didn't live close to any airports. I checked my watch idly to see it was nearing half past four in the morning and then set my eyes straight out the large window in front of me. The sun was rising, turning the sky bright colors that mostly reminded me of orange, raspberry, and grape sherbet. Before long I knew that this beautiful view that I hardly ever saw would be gone and so I took out my IPod nano and moved it slowly back and forth across the horizon, stopping it at the midpoint of my view. One of my habits was documenting things I thought were most beautiful and rare in my life. I did this because I hadn't been able to do so in my past and later found I regretted not doing so.  
Going through my other videos after boarding the plane I picked one I had taken a few years ago of a girl of about eight being pushed on the swings by her mother. Each video held a piece and each piece made a puzzle of all the things I lacked if one was really able to see them. This particular video described the childhood I never had. I was orphaned at the age of seven and every time I think about it...  
": Excuse me, Miss? Is this seat available?:" Broke my attention from the device. Looking to my right I saw a small girl of what I guessed to be twelve at the oldest. She had long brown hair, a heart shaped face, and large round blue green eyes surrounded by long dark eyelashes. She was smiling at me so sincerely that it caught me off guard. I wasn't used to children. Sure I had seen my fair share in my life, but hardly ever had I had contact of any sort with one.  
": Yes?:"  
": OK!:" She plopped down in her seat and continued to look around the plane with awe as I quickly peered around for anyone possibly related to her.  
": Have you ever been on an airplane before?:" Her question almost made me smile.  
":Yes, a few times.:" I nodded, and she beamed my way toothily. She had recently lost one of her teeth, and on a child so young it was probably considered not only adorable, but a sign of growing up.  
": Really? This is my first time...what's it like?:" I wondered if all children were filled with so many questions.  
": You'll find out soon. The plane will be lifting off soon. Look over there.:" I motioned to one of the flight attendants.  
": You see her? She'll tell us when the plane is about to lift off. The walkie-talkie type device in her hand is connected to speakers so that when she tells us we will all be able to hear her.:" The girl nodded slowly as she stared at the woman with large eyes, as though absorbing everything. I had half a mind to ask her about her parents but for reasons I could not explain, I decided not to.  
": Oh! I almost forgot. I'm Susanna but my friends call me Susie. What's your name?:" I actually smiled this time.  
": I am Myles, but you may call me Fleur.:"  
": That's a rather large name difference, but I like Fleur because it’s pretty. But it's nice to meet you, Fleur. Can we be friends?:" When she said that, I couldn't help but stare at her. When I regained my composure I nodded almost robotically. Susie clapped her hands together as if she was about to pray.  
": This makes me so happy!:" She exclaimed, and then the woman I had pointed out to her started talking into the walkie. She spoke first in French and then repeated what she said, but this time in English. I heard Susie chanting ' The plane is starting up' again and again as she clapped jovially beside me. I was mildly envious of how easy it was for her to be happy. An hour later I surrendered to sleep.  
When I woke up, Susie was nowhere to be found, but my guess was she was using the restroom in the back of the plane. I peered out my window and saw the circles, squares, and rectangles of earthly colors going past me. It was a cloudless day and it made me relax a little. I liked dark cloudy weather as it was unpredictable and predictable at the same time. In the end, it was either going to do something or just stay there to blanket the sky with its beautiful bruise colored hues.  
Hours later  
": You're finally awake! You've been asleep for awhile. What time is it?:" She questioned, and I wiped the sleep from my eyes and whipped out my cell phone. It was a little past noon and I had fallen asleep around seven so I had been asleep for an estimated six hours. This was a flight that would take at least thirteen hours and the plane had left at five, meaning we would arrive in Tokyo around six or seven P.M.  
": It's noon.:" I replied before I forgot. Then my stomach grumbled like a cat in a pet shop would if you repeatedly didn't listen to the ' Do not tap the glass' sign. Susie giggled at this before her own stomach growled and then she stopped, blushed slightly, and then continued to giggle.  
": I'm going to get a little something to eat. Would you like for me to get you something as well?:" The girl's chartreuse eyes sparkled as she intertwined her small hands together with her fingers and I took that as a yes.  
": What would you like?:" I asked her, already knowing what I wanted. Something sweet and mind clearing sounded splendid right about now.  
": Ummmm...I would like to get Skittles, please.:" I almost laughed at her mannerisms. Susie was so adorable. Energetic but adorable.  
": Is that all? Do you want anything to drink?:" The young girl shook her head.  
": No, thank you, Fleur, just Skittles...the tropical kind. They're my favorite!" She was bouncing in her seat. Calling over a flight attendant I ordered Susie's Skittles and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a small glass of white wine. The woman asked to see my ID and when I showed it to her she smiled, told us she'd be right back, and walked away. While this was going on I had glimpsed her nametag and it read 'CHIMERE', which meant dream. I thought it was a suitable name since it seemed the only way her hair could stay in such a soft yet firm curl was in a person's dreams. Chimere was a very nice woman, like the rest of the attendants, but seemed younger than most of the others on this flight.   
I let my head drop at my inability to stop working when I should be using this time to relax.  
": Thanks so much, Fleur.:" The little girl beside me smiled, hugging me sideways.  
": You're welcome.:" I examined her hold on me and came to the conclusion that I shouldn't try to get out of it and wait for her to let go of me on her own, which she soon did.  
": What's in that?:" Susie questioned and I knew she meant my glass.  
": Something you can't have and won't like.:" I said as I took it and poured it into my ice cream.  
": Why do you say that?:"  
": Because it's alcohol and I may go to jail if I let you have any.:" I told her. It really depended on where we were right now. Drinking laws were weird.  
": Oh, that stuff is icky.:" This caused me to pause in my devouring of my wine covered ice cream and chuckle a bit.  
": I told you you wouldn't like it.:" Then I resumed my wonderfully cold consumption of the dish before me.  
": Fluer?:"  
": Hm?:"  
": How old are you?:" She asked, and I paused.  
": Seventeen.:"  
": Don't you have to be twenty-one in order to be given permission to drink that stuff?:" My gaze moved to her big expectant eyes.  
": In places like America, yes.:" I replied.  
": I do not understand.:"  
": And you don't need to right now.:" I smiled with another small chuckle.  
": Where are you parents? Are you going to see them in Japan too?:" This answered one of my own questions. Her parents were still alive after all.  
": No, I...am meeting a friend I have never met before.:"  
": How will you know it's him when you see him?:" After all her questioning, I had concluded all children were as full of inquiries.  
": It shouldn't be too hard.:" She soon fell asleep again around the time I had finished my snack. My eyes on the view outside of the window. What kind of person would allow a child of her age to get on a plane by herself?  
I sighed and shook my head as I knew I needed to think about the case even if it hurt my mind. I mean sure remembering it was painful but it seemed like it would be more emotional pain than physical. Looking back at Susie, I was glad she was not a part of this in any way. It was nearly impossible to sit in any other way in this seat as I pondered the case, so I habitually touched my fingertips together. There were four people involved... so there only needed to be one from each of the original killers' families to take over.  
When I started to get into deeper thought about the Sacrificial Murder case I failed to notice the plane had landed and people were getting up and exiting the plane. Not only that but I had also failed to see that Susie had awoken.  
": We need to get off the plane now, Fleur. We're in Tokyo now and my mommy and daddy are waiting for me.:" She said as she shoved my shoulder slightly to drag me back from the strong hold of my thoughts.  
": Thank you, Susie.:" It was then I realized I would probably never see my bubbly new found friend again after she met up with her parents. Walking off the plane, I noticed I didn't feel all that upset about it as much as I knew I would miss her a bit.  
"You'll see me again. I'll visit you!" She called out in English.  
'She knew how to speak English the whole time?’  
As soon as we got into the airport, she ran to who were probably her parents and I watched as her father picked her up and spun her around before setting her down where she hugged her mom who also picked her up, but instead of spinning her around in a circle she just hugged her close. Then she turned around and waved at me, flashing one more toothy smile before walking off with her parents.  
I turned away from the scene and looked around. I found an elderly man with a mustache, grey hair, and a sign that read ' Myles'.  
"You aren't him." He chuckled and shook his head.  
"You must be Myles. I am Watari. It's nice to meet you. I'm going to drive you to where ' he' is." He smiled.  
"Nice to meet you too, Watari."  
"Shall we go?" Watari was a very kind man and I decided that I liked him as I followed him out to the limo.  
"Won't that attract attention?"  
"This is Tokyo." He had a point there. The black limo had almost as black tinted windows and I got in the back and sprawled out on the seat close to the window between him and me.  
"May I ask how you knew I wasn't L?" I shrugged my shoulders.  
"I know people, Watari. You do not have the slightest bit of 'almost an evil genius in you'. You are smart but I also know that L would never have picked me up from there in person." There was a pause before my stomach growled.  
"Can we stop somewhere? I need some thinking food." I mumbled with a hand on my forehead. I needed more sleep.  
"It's a little late for that. We're here." He informed and I looked to my left and saw the building.  
"Well, I guess so." Watari opened the door for me and we walked into the tall structure.  
"L has been waiting for your arrival. He's just through that door. I'll be there in a minute with a meal for you. What sort of drink would you like?"  
"A daiquiri...any flavor." Not believing he would I walked on towards the door he had pointed out.  
Entering the room I saw the dozen or so computers, the cluttered desk, the couch in front of a TV, and no human beings. This made me blink, look from my left to my right, and then I sat in the chair and was about to start typing something when I heard a door open. I thought it was Watari coming back from making my drink and ignored it. This was a mistake in and of itself as I felt them stop behind me and when I finally turned around, I saw a man with spiky onyx hair, large dark eyes with bags under them, and a surprised look on his face. This had to be L.  
He had posture that was far from ideal and didn’t have socks on. His clothes were baggy but clean and he seemed too thin with all the food I hear him eating when I had a strong feeling he didn’t do any exercise.  
"Told you I'd surprise you. I'm Myles."


	2. Nero

Nero  
Iniquitas usquam est a threat ut justicia undique.  
Same time somewhere in Tokyo  
Nanami Hara was buying a present for her friend's eighteenth birthday a week early. Doing so now prevented her from nearly forgetting because of homework. It was broad daylight and she loved the feel of the sun's warmth against her light brown hair as she strolled to one store after another. Her eyes strayed to her left, showing a possible shortcut home through the alley. After a few minutes of thought she decided against it and was about to continue on her way when someone grabbed her. Nanami's eyes searched the area in a panic for someone…anyone. When she was blindfolded, she screamed for help until someone put a foul smelling handkerchief over her mouth and nose. It muffled her cries for help as she slipped off to another world.  
"Vous idiote!Nous devoir se presser maintenant !Quiconque dans quelques centaine pieds pouvions prendre écouter son!*" Was the last thing she heard before she passed out.  
She woke up sometime later and slowly opened her blue topaz eyes only to be met with blackness. The young woman was free to talk though, yet now she was afraid to as she heard the sounds of heavy footsteps, clinking metal, and a voice speaking what she knew to be French into a cell phone. Nanami now regretted not studying the class hard enough while she learned English and Spanish at the same time. Thankfully, she knew a little and made sure to listen closely, which was difficult because even though he was close his words were hurried.  
": I'm sorry it took so long...he left for his...yeah...see he's there. Girl is...of course...almost six. Agreed.:" She managed to make out so little but it was enough to let her know she needed to find a way out of there now or she’d be leaving in a body bag. She almost didn’t want the blindfold to be moved from her eyes.  
As if on cue she heard the footsteps grow closer and it felt like the floor was shaking, but Nanami soon found it was just her; her nerves tense with anticipation and fear. The blindfold was lifted from her face and she caught sight of the source of the metal clinking in her kidnappers hand opposite the one holding the phone before he put it away.  
He was tapping a knife habitually against a table top and when she looked on she found, to her distaste, that the knife in his hand wasn't the only sharp item in the room. The table held guns, knives, swords, razors, and things she didn't know the names of as she had never seen them before.  
Nanami reluctantly glanced at him to see him watching her stoically. He had light neatly groomed flaxen hair that ceased at half past his ears, flawless three shades darker than pale skin, and thinly lashed hazel eyes that burned their way past her skull. It was like they could sense her every thought and emotion. She had never felt the gaze of eyes so cryptic and intimidating, but they seemed to hold her in her place as her body trembled. Nanami couldn't prevent her overactive imagination as it brought up one horrid possible death after the next. Only vaguely aware of her binds she imagined him severing her every limb and letting her bleed out, crucifying her, hanging her the wrong way so she would slowly suffocate and then slice a line across her neck.  
The man then spoke a language that was not French but Latin. This was a course she had taken so she heard every word. His voice was cold, dark, and yet pleasant to listen to.  
"God, I send to you the soul of this innocent child to cleanse my sins." As he approached her, her eyes widened and she squirmed wildly in her seat in a fruitless attempt to escape. The last mistake she made was looking up into his eyes. They had changed and now he held such a soft and sweet smile. She was so caught up in it that she failed to recall the knife still in his now poised hand.  
There was a stunning pain in her lower torso and her gaze snapped to it, finding her light blue summer dress changing color and tearing as the man drew a curved line across her stomach resembling a smile. Nanami's last memory would be of his angelic expression as he pulled the knife out, ignored the insides and warm red life blood soaking the cement floor, and stabbed it into her heart.  
She was killed immediately.  
"Vous êtes trop bons pour ce monde.*”  
________________________________________  
As soon as she stood up from his seat he took a mental picture, setting everything to memory. She had long strawberry blonde hair that stopped a few inches past the middle of her back. Her posture wasn't much better than his own, as she seemed to naturally slouch back a bit, showing her center of balance was probably more to her left. The soft brown color of her eyes was a contradiction to the sharp and calculating nature of them as she appeared to analyze every corner of the room. She was an estimated height of 5'6'' when she wasn't slouching. Her main focus was beside her where his computers were.   
Myles was clothed more for personal comfort rather than anything else, he noticed, as she slipped off her coat, jumping slightly when Watari walked up behind her and asked to put it up for her with one hand while offering her a drink with the other. She accepted it with a curt nod and a quiet ' thank you'. Her top was a black T-shirt currently slipping off one shoulder and stopping right above her naval. The pants she was wearing were low on her waist, baggy, and too long as they nearly consumed her sneakers. His eyes widened when he saw the scars. Some were on her shoulder and neck while others were only hinted at as few parts were visible from the angle he was at.  
"Told you I'd surprise you. I'm Myles." From that sentence alone he could hear the French accent she carried. He was not expecting to walk in and see Myles here already nor was he expecting a girl. He made a face at himself wondering if it was a sexist thing to expect.  
L glanced back to her scars and found himself fascinated, vaguely wondering how she had obtained them. If Myles knew he was staring at them, she showed no sign of caring. Then again she did seem to already know who he was and still appeared more interested in his computers than him anyway. Her gaze locked on the images of the crime scenes found about ten minutes before she had arrived. He was so used to thinking of both the time here and Marseille, so he knew she was probably feeling weird about being taken seven hours into the future (Tokyo is approximately seven hours ahead of Marseille, France). She seemed to be mentally aware of this difference, but he knew her body was less fortunate.  
L was not new to jetlag.  
She was uncomfortable in this foreign house as well as the country, he was sure, watching her sip her blue slushy like drink. L himself was not fond of alcohol. To him, it took away from the mind its potential, dried it out... and yet Myles seemed unaffected by it. She shook her head and set her drink down.  
'Did she get a brain freeze?' Was his first thought but when she didn't look at the computer again for a few minutes, he changed his hypothesis. Her eyes were on the floor and glued there as she took deep breaths and another ten sips from her beverage before once again turning to the monitors. Only four of them were on at this moment, revealing the four different crime scenes.  
Myles either had an extraordinary focus as she examined the four pictures or she was just using them as targets while she zoned out, since she seemed to be staring through them rather than at them. It appeared these photos were sending her back into the confines of her mind and forcing her to bring out the memories of ten years ago.  
He caught the corner of her mouth move unsteadily as though she was about to start crying, but it was brief and replaced by a stoic line. L would have to watch out for her. Whatever her connection, it didn't appear to make her nearly as angry as it made her depressed.  
Once she had looked at them for long enough she turned to him.  
"It is nice to finally meet you face to face, L. I would prefer it if you called me Fleur...it reminds me of home and too many people know me by Myles. I remember you going by Deneuve when we first became acquainted with one another. May I call you that instead of L since I know using that name can be very risky here?" L nodded.  
"When we were talking yesterday, you sounded like you were omitting certain valuable information from me. Could you tell me what it is you remember from that other case in Marseille?" Fleur paused and touched her fingertips together.  
"After the tenth set of murders...there should be signs of cannibalism. It was what happened during the case in France." She muttered and his eyes widened slightly. How was she aware of this information? He knew it was impossible for her to be one of the killers herself but in order for her to know this...she would have had to be there for one of the murders and witnessed not only the murder, but the cannibalistic act as well.   
All at the fragile age of seven. This could definitely be the cause of her emotional withdrawal.  
"If you haven't noticed the locations of the last three squad murders are different as well as the shapes that they make on a map. Their methods for killing change up every time as well and I believe they think they are doing what is right, sacrificing innocent people for their own sins as if they themselves believe... this gives them the right to end the life of another without thinking or caring they might have others who care about and love them..." Fleur's voice trailed.  
"What is your motivation?" Doe eyes turned to me questioningly.  
"Pardon?"  
"Why did you agree to help me on this case? I know it's not just because you've experienced the same thing in Marseille."  
"You're asking this because...?"  
"Because I want to make sure you're determined enough to do whatever is in your power to stop these senseless killers."  
"Then it doesn't matter what motivates me...it only matters that whatever it is motivates me enough." She pointed out.  
"And if that's the case then I can promise you that I am willing to put my life on the line to solve this case." Her words held something in them and L didn't know what it was exactly, but he believed her.  
"Why won't you tell me what your motivation is?" He asked nonchalantly and she sent him an awkward forced smile.  
"Because it's something I would prefer you not know until the last possible moment." It was around that time she noticed his cart of sweets and walked over to it cautiously.  
"What is all this?" The look on her face was new and he had to admit it was cute. The cautious curiosity in her movements and on her face reminiscent of a deer.  
"Try something. They're all good. If you find something you particularly like just tell Watari and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to make it for you whenever you like." He informed and she looked at him, to the cart, back to him, and then her eyes locked on an apple fritter.  
"Help yourself." L encouraged as he walked over to the screens and sat down, his feet and a portion of his back holding him up.  
________________________________________  
I picked up the fritter and nibbled on it like a small forest creature would an acorn or a carrot, making a sound of delight at its deliciousness. Taking a sip from my drink caused an expression of disgust to wash over my face...apple fritter and daiquiri don't mix well.  
"Are you alright? You look like you've been poisoned." L wasn't even looking away from his screens as he tack-tack-tacked away at his keyboard and I couldn't even guess how he knew I had had a late discovery (and the ill fortune) to try an apple fritter and then take a sip of my blueberry daiquiri. My eyes stayed on him as I figured out what he was doing, thinking he was probably searching for other things to show me. I decided to beat him to it.  
"Deep gashes from the top of both arms to the bottom of them...same was done to the legs and stomach. The second week it was burning holes into their palms, cutting out their eyes, the removal of one ear-usually the right, and then they would be beheaded." My voice was so calm it frightened me. One should never be able to get used to death, no matter how many times you witnessed it in some way, shape, or form. My eyes glided over to L sitting in a way I had never seen before. It didn't look comfortable at all from my perspective. In fact he looked as though he was in the fetal position and all that was different was that he was in his early to mid-twenties.  
I wondered how he could be so calm and not worry about his sanity. His head turned to me but I continued to stare. Zoning out was one of my bad habits as I was constantly getting lost in my own thoughts.  
"Fleur?" My glazed over eyes didn't move from their random target.   
Had my father gotten used to it?  
A hand grabbed my shoulder and I cried out in shock, jumping back. When I saw L, I released the tension in my muscles with a sigh. Then I found myself laughing. It had started off as a light and airy chuckle and grown from there. I composed myself as soon as I could and calmed my breathing.  
"I'm sorry, L-Deneuve, but I don't know where that came from. I zone out frequently while remembering things, thinking too deeply...things like that."  
"Was there writing finger painted on a wall in the victim's blood?" He asked, and I rushed past him to take in the new pictures. Each room had one word written on the wall and it was a different word every time: ' Dieu', ' Nettoyez', ' Mes', and 'Péchés' so if read straight across read ' God, cleanse my sins.' I took a deep breath, preparing to dive into the thickest river of insanity I had ever faced. They were insane if they were anything like the ones before them.   
“Anything like him.” I winced at the thought and hoped none of them had been as messed up as him and none of the ones today were the same as he was and done the things he did so... easily. Talking to the people he cared about as though nothing were wrong and then killing his own wife, the woman he had claimed to love, right in front of their daughter by speaking some words she didn't understand at the time before snapping her mother's neck. Then he cut into her stomach and started eating parts of her raw as if thinking it would provide him immortality...liver, kidney, appendix, and heart…   
After that he even took the knife he had been using on her stomach to cut of slices of her still warm skin and chunks of red meaty muscle. He didn't even notice his own daughter standing behind him in shock and confusion, watching the gory scene in front of her.  
I shook my head and huffed, scolding myself for thinking about something hardly relevant at the moment. L was watching me, though. It seemed my knack for zoning out like an eccentric psychic attracted attention. I watched as he brought his hand up and pressed his thumb against his lower lip, likely analyzing my person. I didn't like being watched, it made me uncomfortable and sometimes feel like crying.  
"Fleur, do you know what this means?" By the tone of his voice when he asked the question, I had a feeling he already had an idea of what they might be dealing with. I looked to the screen, which was now scanning websites for related cases appearing like pages in a book, flipping upwards with blue titled chapters. I knew the results would involve Marseille’s case.  
"They believe killing these innocents in particular ways, step by step and week by week, repeating every ten weeks, but after the first forty total deaths... there will always be cannibalism involved. These people think consuming the flesh of the innocent that they themselves have automatically become innocent and immune to sin." I explained once I found the words.  
"Don't they know that killing people is wrong?" This innocent question didn't fool me. I knew him better than he thought.  
"They don't see them as people, Deneuve...they see them as lesser tools for a greater cause. Once they pick their victim it is too late. They will want to be the one who kills whomever they deem innocent. No one can prove them wrong well enough to convince them the person is not innocent or that the killing of their ' chosen ones' is wrong. They can't understand reason unless it follows theirs all the way through. "  
"This is your opinion?"  
"This is my knowledgeable opinion." I frowned deeply at the screen and yawned. It was strange as I had just gotten here...I looked at the clock- about five hours ago. I decided it had to be something else and L's calmness wasn't normal even though he was human. My mind was beginning to waver to irrelevant things like the room, where I was going to sleep, and then trying to figure out what some of the things on the cart beside L were.  
"May I ask who gave you those scars?" L inquired suddenly, redirecting my focus to them. I regarded them with a monotonous gaze, remembering how and when I had gotten each and every one, but L had asked ' who' not how, making it seem like he knew they had been given to me by a specific person. As true as it was, I did not like people knowing much about me.  
"Many people." Was my cautious response, which was actually somewhat true in a sense.  
"I know that none of the dots were done by you since you don't smoke." I had at least ten cigarette burn scars on my right shoulder that were visible.  
"The others, though, look like they could be cuts and other burns that broke the skin." I frowned. Usually people who noticed didn't say anything about it. I flinched violently from the memories and absentmindedly rubbed my left wrist; soothing a phantom pain.  
________________________________________  
L watched her reaction to the question and his scrutiny of her scars, coming to the conclusion she had been abused as a child. Her mother or father had probably used her as an ash tray and who knows what else they’d done to her, but her scars seemed to have a pattern he couldn't quite make out. He saw she regarded them coldly, but at the same time seemed to still be in pain.  
She still appeared to be enjoying her alcoholic beverage, but ceased to eat anything until she was done drinking it. This amused L when he remembered her facial expression from the time before. She seemed haunted, though, and he wondered if whatever her motivation was had something to do with the strange pattern of scars on her shoulder.  
"I hope you're staring at me because you're musing about whether or not you should ask me what to expect from the rest of the sacrificial killings because I don't feel like telling you my life story." Fleur stated as she stared right back at him. Her gaze was slightly bored yet seemed to hold a bit of interest. L deduced he had been right about his earlier thought.  
"None of these documents give out full detail about what happened during every murder and what the possible cause of it was."  
"You know they hide at least one detail from every murder in order to help catch the real guy on the off chance he turns himself in. These people will say everything, but it won't make sense to you because the way they talk is...practically coded." Fleur explained before more people stepped through the doors. The task force was finally here. I turned to them in order to acknowledge their arrival.  
"Soichiro Yagami, Touta Matsuda, Shuichi Aizawa, Hideki Ide, and Kanzo Mogi... it is nice to see you all again and I am glad you wish to help on this case as well." They all simultaneously shifted to Fleur, who was showing signs of increasing discomfort.   
All had questioning looks on their faces.  
"Everyone, This is Fleur. She has helped me with quite a few other cases and has dealt with a case exactly like this in Marseille. Fleur, this is the Task Force that assisted me on the Kira case I mentioned on occasion." L introduced and she nodded stiffly and jumped back with wide eyes when Matsuda advanced in her direction.  
"Wow, you're French? Did you really fly here all the way from there? L never mentioned you before, but I can see why. You're so cute he must have wanted to keep you all to himself." The other members of the team aside from L sighed at the young officer's predictable nature. L or ' Deneuve' just sat there and waited for Fleur's response.  
": He never saw my face before today.:" Made me turn to the screens with a slight smirk on my face, while Matsuda stood there with question marks over his head.  
"She only knows French?" Aizawa asked, and L looked to her. Her eyes were looking at Aizawa and then to him.  
"It would seem so." L replied, earning a blink from Fleur. That's when Matsuda saw the scars on her shoulder.  
'Great.' The detective thought, but continued to watch, curious for how the young woman would retaliate.  
"Those marks-" He cowered when she shot him a dark seething glare. It would seem she wasn't used to his personality and responded with anger.  
"That's usually a sensitive subject, Matsuda." Yagami chuckled.  
": You didn't tell me there would be more people.:" She frowned in my direction.  
": I'm sorry, Fleur, but they are vital to this case.:" Deneuve replied.  
": Deneuve, you brought police along and didn’t even give me a heads up:"  
"Deneuve? Is that the alias she knows you by, Ryuuzaki?" Mogi asked.  
“It's easier for her to remember than my other aliases. She also appears to prefer it to the others anyways." He explained.  
There was a sudden loud slurping sound, and they all looked to Fleur, who was so engrossed with her drink she didn't appear to sense the six pairs of eyes on her. When she did, she looked at her drink, and then glanced up again.  
": I need another drink. I'm going to find Watari-:"  
": No need. I'll call him and request another one be made for you. I need you to stay for a while longer. Just until we are done catching them up.:"  
": Okay, but thank him for the first one for me? It was really good.:" The woman replied under her breath.  
": Of course.:"  
________________________________________  
Was he insane? Did he honestly believe I would feel comfortable around all these people? It didn't matter who they were or what they had done. Getting used to one person was difficult enough, but five? I sighed and shook my head as I turned away from them and headed towards the couch.  
"Watari, could you please bring Fleur another drink?" There was a pause and I had a feeling he was glancing at me before he added." She also wanted me to thank you for the first." Afterwards he turned to the others, his seat making a slight squeak reminding me of a dying mouse. Thinking of that made me flinch more than the sound of the chair itself.  
"Before you came in I asked Fleur if she would tell me what we should expect from the other crime scenes up until the tenth one. She has already informed me the tenth will show signs of cannibalism." As expected they all gasped.  
": If they are not prepared for something this high on the scale then they should leave. If they come in contact with any of them they should not try to persuade them verbally as it will not work. These people are all crazy. They will not hesitate to kill you if you seem like a threat...and they will do anything in their power to kill you.:"  
"She explains that you should not approach them if you see them. At least not on your own. They are criminally insane and dangerous. If you feel you are not prepared to risk your life for another case...then I must ask you to leave now." L translated for me, editing my phrasing and sending me an inquiring look.  
": The fourth killing group will involve arrows being burned into the flesh of their stomachs, half of their ears removed by a serrated knife, and horizontal cuts along their wrists and ankles. They will be bled out. Fifth is important to them, as the elements seem to connect with the number five. They will burn the left hand, dehydrate the right in a way that makes it seem frozen, beat the left leg with a rock, and the right leg should have a frostbite on it somewhere from water too cold...or a scald mark from it being too hot. On their foreheads should be a sign that looks like this.:" I took a pen and paper from the random pile scattered on the coffee table, ripped off a clean piece, and began to draw.  
First a triangle, then an eye in the center, and finally I drew three lines coming up from each side with the center line being longer than the other two on either side of it...those ones being of equal length. I stood and handed it to L.  
": This mark is the 'Eye of God'.:" Deneuve/L told them of the next two killings while posting the picture I drew on a board underneath a number five. He then began to write down what I had mentioned under four and the rest that came with five.  
": The sixth...:" I was searching in my mind for the right order and useful details.  
": The body is bludgeoned almost killing the victim, and then their hands are removed at the wrist by wire, and a thin circle is cut around the neck...deep enough to hit a very fatal artery and kill them; common carotid.:" My head started hurting and I frowned, rubbing it lightly with my hand before rubbing circles around my temples.  
"Is something wrong, Fleur?" Deneuve asked with his light English accent lacing his words. He had stopped writing after making the number seven by a number six, and after seeing his horizontal list of what to look for... I saw how it looked more like a menu describing what would be left after their death for cannibals than a list with a use aside from disgusting those unfortunate enough to see it.  
": Headache.:" I lightly grumbled and Watari walked in with another drink. I practically ran over to him and was taking a sip of it as soon as it was in my hands. I never seemed to get headaches from alcohol unless I had about six of these drinks. I got tipsy and buzzed at about my fourth.  
": If you have them caught up on everything else...then I think I'm going to go to my room and try to remember ways seven through nine...way ten is obvious. They cut off pieces, and eat them alive.:" I muttered before sauntering out the doors to the elevator as Deneuve translated my words. I thought for a moment that I had heard someone throwing up, but brushed it out of my mind. If they couldn't deal with it...then that was their own fault.  
Slurping more of my drink, I felt like I was being lightly tossed up by some force of air underneath my feet rather than the gears and machinery really involved. That's how quiet the elevator ride up was. I closed my eyes until I heard the 'ding' signaling my little flight was over, and stepped out onto solid ground with a sigh. My face almost broke into a smile when I thought about having my own floor. The rooms on it were amazing, but I decided to close my eyes again and walk down the hallway to just stop.  
": Which room is mine, Daddy? There are so many.:" A little girl about five asked her father.  
": Want to hear a trick I used to do all the time?:" He questioned back, and she giggled and nodded.  
": Close your eyes and take as many steps as you want. When you stop, turn in either direction and try the closest door there. If you like it then it's yours.:" The girl clapped her hands and followed his instructions.  
": I want this one, Daddy!:" She beamed.  
": Then let us get the movers up here.:"  
I opened my eyes and stopped in front of two doors and turned to my right. Glancing at my left, I wondered if I should try it first...but then I pushed away the adolescent urge just as I pushed the door open.  
It was perfect.  
Taking a second look around at the black, white, and grey color scheme I concluded that the word fit and shoved away any self criticism that said otherwise.  
Everything was thrown together nicely and I had always liked simple colors. I grew even more attached to the room when I saw how creatively they were used.  
My drink and I stuck out to these surroundings as I made my way to the bedroom...and then I wondered if I was ever really going to use it as I had never been able to really make it to bed on mornings during a case. Like with my place in Marseille, I would almost always fall asleep in front of my portable laptop with a black and white checker board design, reminding me of chess.  
The bedroom had black walls including the ceiling and it made me think of an oversized black box. There was an entire wall that was window, covered by a wide curtain of grey. The ground looked fluffy and white like snow, contrasting with the dark abyssal walls. I had an idea for the ceiling in this room as well as the living room, but I didn't have the right materials for it just yet.  
I sighed and looked to the bed, quilted in a plaid combination of the three shades of monotone. The pillows were either black or white and there were a lot of them in many different shapes and sizes.   
This bothered me. There only needed to be two or three pillows on the bed, so why were there so many extras?  
I spun around when I heard a knock on the door and tip toed towards it, debating on whether or not I should open it.  
"Miss Fleur, its Watari. I have your luggage." The voice on the other side replied, making my decision for me. I unlocked and opened the door to find Watari surrounded by more than I had brought with me.  
"You didn't seem to have enough supplies to last you for very long so I took the liberty of bringing the rest of your belongings from your home in Marseille."   
Avent better not be curled up in one of those cases or I'd be pissed.  
"Thank you, Watari." I attempted a small smile and he smiled politely in return.  
"If you need anything at all just let me know." Watari smiled. It was one of those smiles that you could depend on and usually saw in a father when you were little. He didn't remind me of a father but I felt he was potential father figure material.  
"I'll be sure to do that." I nodded, and he walked out, closing the door behind him.  
"Now how am I gonna set all this up?"  
________________________________________  
Okay...translations!  
Vous idiote!Nous devoir se presser maintenant !Quiconque dans quelques centaine pieds pouvions prendre écouter son!- You idiot! We need to rush this now! Anyone within hundred feet could have heard her!  
Vous êtes trop bons pour ce monde- You are too good for this world.


	3. Ovid

Ovid  
Gratia exsisto a rector vos must primoris exsisto a secuutus  
~1 AM~  
I wanted to throw something. My recent events are summed up as: agree to help L, get convinced to move to Tokyo, picked up by his assistant/butler, meet more people than I have ever met at once...let alone ever wanted to meet at the same time, and now...here I am unpacking all of my things from Marseille and working on my third daiquiri; pomegranate.  
Trying to get used to a new house was best done while drinking and unpacking in my eyes. I liked where I lived but I would prefer it if I could stay in this room away from all these people. Safe to say I was very...ill at ease with new people. I was just thankful to Deneuve for not giving it away that I spoke English. I know it was kind of mean of mean to do but it's a reflexive defense mechanism.  
My only useful quality is my high degree of intelligence. Without it I only have traits that make me easily detestable. Avent named a few, but he and I both know that there are more where those came from. Hell, without how caught up I was in my thoughts I'd probably hate myself, so when it came to other people, especially groups of them, I tended to do whatever I could to distance myself from them. One could say that I was a magnet that repelled other magnets no matter the type they were. There was another knock on my door and I walked over to it to find a familiar little girl standing there with her big eyes staring up at me with her trademark smile with one tooth missing.  
": Fleur, I found you!:" She cried out happily throwing herself into my arms, almost knocking me off balance.  
": What are doing here? And up so early?:" I inquired as I set her down on the living room floor with four boxes of belongings still packed.  
": That's what I wanted to know too, but she just wouldn't give up until she found you.:" This voice wasn't familiar and neither was their appearance. His features were somewhat similar to Susie's as far as the coloring went. His eyes were smaller, but not tiny, and he was taller, standing at a height around six feet. Droopy deep-set eyes with thick long lashes like Susie's looked back at me. My guess was he was her older brother, but it was a rough guess as he hadn’t been at the airport to greet her.  
": This is Bastien, Fleur. He's my big brother!:"  
": She's told me lots about you...haha, in fact, you're all she's talked about since she got here.:" He said from his spot by the now locked door.  
": Bastien's way older than me...like you! But he's a year older, I think...:" She was now looking around my new mess of a house. It was only a mess because of the cases, really...though, there were some clothes I could have placed elsewhere. There were at least ten articles of clothing haphazardly tossed in one place or another. My first thoughts were ' well, good for him.' as I slurped my daiquiri and moved my gaze to Susie, who I saw disappear into my room.  
": Wow! What a big window! You can see all of Tokyo from here!:" She said awestruck.  
": Help yourselves to any food. I don't eat much.:" I said, muttering the last part under my breath. That's when I looked at the wall of window and I remembered everything else.   
My headache was gone.  
Looking around, I picked up a red marker and began drawing out a map of Tokyo from memory, using numbers to specify which victim died where and when. Having finished with that, I stood back and used a blank part of the window to write out the others ways people have died.  
": What are you doing?:" Susie asked as she and Bastien walked in.  
": Drawing.:" I made sure to write everything out in English so she couldn’t read it...I didn't know about Bastien.  
": How did you two get in here anyways?:" I questioned almost suspiciously.  
": L was typing on his computers and stuff looking for more stuff on the case and I walked in with Susie and made my way up here.:"  
": You know L?:"  
": I know him better by Deneuve, but yes.:" The young man replied. I figured he must have just arrived late.  
": He's really kinda odd but I know he's sweet. I mean, what kind of person that eats so much sweet stuff isn't?:" She giggled. The child's logic made me smile a little as I finished off the ninth squad of deaths ' thing to look for' list. I moved over to the map again and glanced over the pinpoints of the first twelve deaths. It didn't bring any sort of picture or pattern to mind.  
This place was too warm for my liking, so I turned up the AC; I was quite sensitive to differences in the temperatures around me. I frowned at it when I noticed it was a bit slow and would take at least fifteen minutes to cool to the right temp. Lucky me, flying to Tokyo in the middle of a hot summer from a place where I woke up to meet a wonderful fifty degrees.   
Impatient, I decided to just strip off an article of clothing in order quicken the process...so I slid off my shirt in front of my two guests. I was a careless drunk that would strip just as easily as I would drink in the first place. It didn't matter that there was a man and a little girl here. Besides I liked my black bra with lime green and magenta paint splatter.  
": What are you doing?:" That was Bastien. He was looking over at me like I was either insane or drunk...or both.  
": What's it look like I'm doing? I'm walking around almost half-naked until the temperature goes down to a level I like it at.:" I explained as I stretched my arms out. Susie noticed something else.  
": Fleur...what’s that on your back?:" Pausing and looking at her pure curiosity filled eyes...I decided I needed to lie a little, but only a little; I hated lying to kids.  
": It's a picture someone drew on my back when I was little.:"  
": It's kinda scary looking and painful. Does it hurt?:"  
'Only sometimes.'  
": Not really.:" Bastien was still staring at me strangely and I glared at him.  
": Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to stare?:" Those words didn't come out nearly as accusingly as I thought they would.  
": It's your fault.:" He smirked.  
": Yeah, I know,:" I slurped more of my drink.": It's always my fault. I drink just to get drunk too often. I don't get out enough. Well, I'm sorry, okay? These drinks taste good and certain people bore me while the others make me uncomfortable.:"  
": Are you drunk?:"  
": Not yet but I will be soon...after you leave.:" Looking at Susie, I saw she was examining the area herself. Her wide eyes seemed to be scanning for some sort of hidden treasure. I had temporarily forgotten about the other guest I had.  
": I wasn't able to say anything earlier so I'll say it now. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but you seem a bit busy. Do you want us to leave so you can finish unpacking-:" Susie's charisma cut him off.  
": I have a better idea. How about we help you unpack?:" Her energizer bunny smile and request made me scratch my head for a moment and looked around. A place didn't feel like it was home unless I had familiar things around. Figuring I might as well agree I just nodded and sauntered into the kitchen.   
I needed a beer.  
": If you're gonna help, fine, but I have a set place where everything goes and if you don't like where I tell you to put it then you can shove your issues and leave...deal?:" Bastien didn't seem to agree with my rather vulgar voicing of my terms, but Susie on the other hand didn't seem to have been listening at all. The funniest part was she seemed to have a pretty good idea of where everything went in my eyes.   
Almost as though she had taken the picture in my head, copied it in her own, and was now setting it up like a pro. Opening my beer can with a familiar pop and fizz, I took a few gulps and continued to watch in amazement as this little girl painted my picture for me. She situated lamps, put my clothes in the right drawers, and even took the more useless of my pillows and piled them up on my living room floor.  
": Aizawa mentioned it might be a problem if you only spoke French to them during the investigation. What are you planning on doing?:" Bastien inquired. He was definitely the investigative and detective type. I wondered how he had met L, but didn't ask. I didn't like being asked questions and as much as I accepted I was a hypocrite, I didn't like showing it when I knew I could easily be relinquished of my secrets. The aura of negotiating and manipulation radiated off Bastien like the stench of a person that had just been sprayed by a skunk. He unnerved me enough as it was and I was going to make sure I never gave him any reason to ask me anything about myself I couldn't avoid.  
": Bastien, if you spoke a particular language other than French I would do the same to you. But since you do happen to know my native tongue, I don't have a choice. I will be outright and say I don't feel very comfortable around you. I don't like people much...in general.:"  
": What's so special about Susie?:" His question didn't stop me at all.  
": She's young, happy, and open. The only thing about her that could possibly make me feel uncomfortable is when she wants to play a game or something.:"  
": You mean to say you've never played as a child?:"  
": I hope that's a rhetorical question because I think I made it perfectly clear. Susie has the childhood I might have had if it weren't for certain happenings in my past.:"  
": Things you aren't going to disclose with the likes of me?:" I watched Bastien as he placed all the puzzle pieces together uncertainly in his mind even though to me it felt he was playing dumb. Was he trying to get me to feel more comfortable around him in order to actually tell him personal things about myself or was he simply ignorant of his own intelligence?   
I walked away from him because he was starting to piss me off.  
": I think you should both go home. Susie, isn't it about...wayyyyy past your bedtime?:" I called to her, hearing her giggle from the other room.  
": Yeah, but I wanted to see you one last time before bed. How'd I do?:" Her sincere words dripped into my conscious and I sighed in defeat.  
": You did great, but you're tired beyond belief. Go to bed and you can see me tomorrow, but be sure to get a lot of sleep because I stay up really late and sleep all through the morning. Got it?:" My usually hardened words came out softer than I thought possible. Children made me soften up more than I liked, but Susie’s particular personality made it alright.  
": Deal.:" Her face brightened as she walked out hand in hand with a silent Bastien, who let the door close with a soft click.  
Choosing to sober myself up just a little, I stripped myself of my remaining clothes, letting them trail on the floor to the bathroom. It was a pure white solace of a room and with its large bath, and the already provided variety of hair and body care supplies I knew it was soon to be my Elysium. The beautiful sound of the shower water beating down stopped all my unwanted thoughts from flooding my brain even before I stepped under the warm waterfall.  
Some days I felt as though I could spend my days showering instead of sleeping. I mean it had the same effect but I wasn't protected from anything when I slept. I was completely and utterly vulnerable to any mental and/or physical attack whether it was in my head or out of it and it was that difference that made taking a shower that much better. No reason to think here and I was able to let myself drift until I felt and thought about nothing but the therapeutic feeling of the water on my skin, washing everything away.  
My eyes flashed open at the memory of the words written in blood on the walls of the last four deaths. It was new and definitely proof these were copy cats who knew of what had been going on in Marseille. Shaking my head almost violently, I allowed myself to be brainwashed for the next two hours until my fingers and toes were pruning and unrecognizable to me. I loved the feeling, though, I had basically shed a new skin in the shower and needed to take a nice long, well deserved nap to go along with it. It may have only been five thirty in the morning, but I had screwed up my slumber cycle on the plane.  
Padding out of the bathroom clad in only a towel hanging loosely from my neck and stopping a small ways past my breast, I entered my room, leaving a wet trail of footprints behind me. My eyes wandered to the window again, and I stood in front of it for a moment in a failed attempt to connect the dots. I didn't know why but it just didn't make sense to me...it seemed there needed to be more deaths in order for me to find what pattern there was, and as terrible as the thought was it was also true.  
Commonly heard words from my mother popped invaded my thoughts.  
"Sometimes the truth hurts and one can only lie for so long until it kills them."   
I winced and touched my back, feeling the indentations of the scars along my neck and shoulder. The painful picture on my back I had gotten all at once when I was six years old became three dimensional under my fingers.  
Slipping the towel from around my neck, I sat on the floor by my bed and dried my hair as I tried to think about other things before bed. All I had to do was pick a topic and when I did this I landed at L. Now that I thought about it, he’d saved me from Avent by convincing me to come here. He was trying to solve a case I knew everything yet nothing about because I had not attempted to play detective on it. I had wanted to stay away and survive...forget it at the time even, but now I wanted to remember everything to stop this. I didn't care for the now subsiding pain that ran from my neck to lower back because I could ignore it. These sacrificial killings bothered me because I was trapped in a paradox. If I ran away from it people would continue to die yet in order for me to patch all these disfigured pieces together more people had to die.  
I lackadaisically dropped my gaze to the side where my dresser was placed. As pleasant as it sounded I was not one to sleep in the nude, so I stood up and opened the top drawer to find that Susie had, in fact, gotten everything right. I now felt that I needed to treat this girl to at least five different things to make her happy in order for me to return the favor. I hated being indebted to people but she was easy to please.  
Choosing a pair of blue boy shorts and a black sports bra, I climbed into bed and sank under the heavenly covers. Sleep reluctantly took me in as the sun began to rise.  
I would have to deal with those useless piled up pillows in my living room after I awoke.  
________________________________________  
Fleur had been taking longer than I thought she would. When I checked her camera I found her in her room, sprawled on her stomach, and almost half way off her bed. She really did have odd sleeping habits...not that I could really say much on the matter.  
I saw the beer bottle on her bedside table.  
'Drinking a beer after three daiquiris. Did she get drunk in order to get to sleep?' Crossed my mind as I looked over the marks on her back. There was a larger spot at the very middle, like she had had a circular razor burned there. I could tell the difference between the burns and the cuts on her back and they caused me to frown. There was a burn resembling a lotus flower facing up towards her neck, swirled cuts, and more cigarette burns. Diverting my gaze from the screen, I was about to turn it off when something caught my eye. Moving the camera in the direction of the window in her room I noticed she had not only written out the details of the other murders, but had also drawn out a map of a sort. There was no doubt in my mind that she would use this in order to keep track of any pattern there may be. She would also try finding the specific ' zones' of each murderer if she could...if there was a zone for any of them.  
My eye caught a stirring from Fleur's bed and I glanced over to see she had turned on her upper half to the side. In the end, I figured she’d known or still knew a detective in Marseille who gave her all the details during the other case. The only problem was they never caught the ones responsible because the ones suspected all died or killed themselves before they could be convicted. That's what Fleur had written somewhere on the wall...probably while she was drunk as it was sloppier than what was on the window. I sighed and shut it off, turning back to the expectant team behind me.  
"Well?" Aizawa inquired with palpable impatience.  
"Fleur falls asleep about this time and won't be waking up until around the evening. Her flight here was more than likely exhausting...so she could be out for longer than that. It all depends on how much rest she got on the plane ride here. If you want me to tell you more about her I'm afraid I have nothing to tell you. All I know is that she is connected to another case. She would even tell you she considers this a sort of copycat crime. The original, of course, happening in Marseille..." I was eating a cherry turnover and didn’t even bother looking at Aizawa.  
"You're wasting our time! There is a group of killers out there and you bring this unreliable child along for the ride?" Aizawa exclaimed and I frowned at how predictable he was.  
"If it wasn't for that 'unreliable child' as you so blatantly call her, I would not have been able to solve a little over half of my cases as quickly as I did. It is not her fault you got here late." My retort caused him to grit his teeth and glare at me.  
"Yelling and throwing fits won't get us anywhere, guys," Matsuda stepped in, for once seeming to have grown a back bone.  
"Won't it be better this way? We can actually catch this guy faster if we at least have one person aside from Ryuzaki who can help. In the morning we can do whatever we can and at night Fleur will be here to continue from where we left off." His words quieted the room when Aizawa realized he had a point.  
"Then if it's settled...let's get to work."  
Sometime around 8:30 P.M.  
I had been checking her screen every now and then to see if she had woken up yet. My gathered squad of police officers were currently taking this time to visit family or getting some sleep. I had made them do so when I noticed how sick some of them were getting...like Matsuda. He had actually been forced out of the room by his stomach, and into the kitchen where the sound of gagging and then what we all knew to be the sound of someone literally losing their lunch.  
Sighing as I stirred the fifteen dissolved sugar cubes into my tea, I pondered whether or not this case really was too much for them. The worst part being this was only the beginning. The cannibalism Fleur had predicted for later murders hadn't even started up yet. I spun my chair from side to side absentmindedly as I licked cake frosting from my fingers.  
Out of my peripheral vision I caught movement from Fleur's room other than her frequent tossing and turning. She was now standing with her hand on her head and her back facing me once again. This time the covers weren't covering her up from the lower back down and I found that she slept in very little. Out of respect, I turned my chair away to grab another treat from the cart Watari had recently restocked, hoping this would give her even the slightest bit of time to get some clothes on. Unfortunately, when I turned back to the screen Fleur was still sporting her nightwear as she slowly made her way to the kitchen, stopping once on her way in order to stretch. Her hair was a red and blonde mess on top of her head and went either unnoticed or ignored as its owner appeared to have other plans before doing anything hygienic.  
Fleur grabbed a fresh water bottle from her fridge and plopped down haphazardly on the arm of her sofa. One slim leg was up beside her on the arm rest while the other dangled to the soft floor. I found myself intrigued when I noticed that the marks on her back were the only marks on her body. This was only a guess since there was still cloth covering the right parts of her anatomy, but there was something gnawing at me, telling me I was right.   
She downed nearly half the bottle in little to no time at all before twisting the cap back on, setting it on her coffee table, and heading into her kitchen once again. Moments later she meandered out holding her coffee machine, looking around as though she was simply trying to find another place for it. I wasn't expecting her to chuck it out the window of her floor with a satisfied smile as she smacked her hands together, getting rid of the nonexistent dust on them. She then situated herself back on the arm rest of her couch as if nothing had happened in the first place and gulped down the rest of her water in a flash.  
There was the option to tell her she should be heading to the main floor. The oddest part was how I allowed her to continue on with whatever she was doing as she slid into a lounging position on her couch...still in her unmentionables. The look on her face was that of a mannequin that had been abandoned, even her eyes were dollish at the moment; glazed over lifelessly. She gave off the impression of someone that was lost and didn't want to be found...but feared where she was.  
When she stood up and strolled into her bathroom, I reached my hand over and flipped off the screen. She would be here in about half an hour. I spent my time thinking about what we should do about the murders.   
What type of person would kill people they believed to be pure and innocent in order to become pure themselves? It had been the opposite case for Light Yagami. Although Light's useful mind would've been fine if it wasn't for the Death Note and its’ tempting powers of control. The thing was Light was only one person, the Death Notes had been taken back to the Shinigami realm, and Light was dead. In the end of the case, I had expected Kira's plan to kill me when he had the chance without it looking like he was the one who did it. His intellect had rivaled my own, but in the end Misa Amane was not let out, and Ryuk had killed him when he saw things were getting nowhere and got bored with Light. He told us that he would've killed him even if he had won. Ryuk may have not been very smart but he knew of how things worked. There's a consequence for every action and Kira had only been delaying the inevitable.  
"Got any beer?" Almost made me fall out of my chair as Fleur just seemed to appear in the room in the midst of pulling a red tank top over her head. Her slightly oversized black shorts went to just above her knees were held around her waist by a black belt with shining purple paint splattered studs which only went through two of the denim loops, and I was amazed they were defying gravity since it was looser than it was supposed to be. This girl had no shame. I moved back to her question.  
"You do know that alcohol dehydrates the brain and causes what is known as a hangover, right?" Fleur's laughter filled the room briefly three seconds after the words came out of my mouth.  
"I don't believe that was funny." I noted thoughtfully. Her cinnamon eyes flashed with slight confusion before she recovered fully.  
"I'm sorry. I sometimes can't control things like that."  
"Shouldn't you see a doctor for that?" Peeling back the wrapped of a Ferrero Rocher chocolate, I felt her gaze. Looking from my chocolate to her face there was a moment of silence. Then she wheeled around on the heel of her bare foot...yes foot. It had taken me a moment to realize it but she was only wearing one mid-calf reaching red sock that had ' Café de défi et le fait de frapper automobile*' printed all over the material in a medium ComicSans font. After putting everything together I came to the conclusion she was having an off day at the start of it.  
' Is it still called ' having an off day' if their day and night is flipped?' I thought, my eyes wandering to the high ceiling of the room.  
"I'll be fine after my morning beer." She shrugged, not seeming to notice the difference between her bare foot and her socked one touching the ground. The only thing I could come up with was she had a morning beer instead of morning coffee...maybe that's why she threw it out the window?  
'That's a little extreme to be the reason to do something like that...and she did bring it with her from her home in Marseille. Why bring something with you when you're just going to throw it out a window? Why does she even have it?' It wasn't adding up in my mind properly. Trying to make sense of her actions was like Einstein trying to tie his shoes.  
________________________________________  
It was just one beer. That was all I was asking for. I got one every morning at one point or another and it wasn't always beer. Sometimes it would be enough wine to be the equivalent of a can of beer or something on those lines. I can't even remember what happened last night and L had yet to tell me where the beer was as I stared at him, attempting to will him to tell me.  
"You're too young to drink and staring at me won't help. You have at least another two years. " I felt my lips pucker in the start of a pout and I crossed my arms over my chest.  
"Please, I've been drinking since I was fifteen. And what makes you think I'm too young to drink? Do you want to see my ID card?" I grumbled, wondering if he knew my exact age. Could he really tell just by looking at me? The thought left a bad taste in my mouth.  
"What's the point of that when you probably just fixed up a fake one yourself? I may not know your personal information but I am well aware of what you are capable of. Plus with these two pieces of information I can guess that you made this false ID card when you were fifteen and that you really are underage." His comment didn't help with my growing irritation nor my headache. I needed a beer, damn it!  
"If you won't get me my wake up call, then I'm going to find Watari because I know you don't have any in your fridge."  
"You already look?" I could feel his question irk me more and what was worse was I actually had sometime the night before.  
"Not that I had to."  
"Are you aware that there have been several dozen complaints and queries about a mysterious coffee maker falling from the sky and smashing to pieces on the sidewalk near this building a little over half an hour ago?" An overwhelming surge of anger flooded my mind as I remembered the coffee maker that, not long ago, had been idly sitting on my counter just waiting to be used again since my trip from France.  
"How could I be when I was asleep around that time?" I doubted even the great L could tell me my exact time of waking up; he had no way of knowing. Watching his eyes find a spot on the wall as he placed his thumb on his lower lip, my own eyes widened. Was he actually thinking about it?  
"It was at about eight thirty seven. No alarm since you had a hangover and you got a bottle of water to help with it," He made a mild attempt at motioning to the bottle of cold clear liquid in my left hand before continuing." You also just got dressed, and your hair isn't wet, which means you probably took some time lazing around half naked." His eyes were locked on me now, and I raised a brow at the prodigy. So, it was possible.  
L turned and turned on a screen and a picture came into view that was creepily similar to my residence. My raised brow lowered to normal height and felt my mouth form a bitter line.  
"Also I saw you do it and have the video feed. Was there a particular reason for it?"  
"If I say yes will you drop the subject?" Just because I knew my chances of getting a ' no' were low didn't mean I wasn't going to try.  
"If I tell you that you are only wearing one sock would you believe me?" Caught me off guard. What was he talking about? I looked down and saw he was right. A single sock I had gotten from a store down by the Cour Julien neighborhood near where I had lived kept my left foot covered.  
"I guess not since you had to look. Are you feeling alright?" It wasn't a matter of whether or not I was feeling okay at this point in time. It’s a sock. Just one little piece of fabric supposed to keep a person’s feet warm. I hated that sock but I was sure that L would see this as an obvious sign I wasn't much of a morning person. Like Hell was I going to tell him about Avent giving me that coffee maker for my birthday and that the mere sight of it made me want to scream. I just got rid of a problem quickly and in a way that kept a mess out of my living space. I had my moments when I wasn't the most rational person in the world just like every other human being in this world and I'd gladly admit it.  
"No, Deneuve, I am not feeling alright. I need something in the morning to help me function and start me up in the morning and that thing could be called beer, wine, whatever. I just need an alcoholic beverage. I mean you had no problem with it yesterday." I protested and finished it off with a huff that should've completed my message to him; I needed my beer.  
I got a shrug and no words.  
'Well, fine. There are other ways of getting beer.' I went to find my other sock and both of my old sneakers. Making my way back to my room was deja’vu and annoying as Hell because I forgot where I put my ID card. I couldn't find my other sock either.  
My mind screamed ' Fuck' until I found its match under my bed.  
'Damn, Boogie man. Trying to steal my socks.' I mentally growled as I left to get my shoes...when I paused for a moment and sighed. I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before. Usually I think of everything but we all have our blonde moments.  
When you forget you have the entire lower half of your fridge stocked with beer it's not a proud moment of your life. Especially when you've got a habit of doing it. To me, it was like looking at one right in front of your face, gazing through the entire fridge, and not noticing it until you turn and actually see it. Avent had at one point called it ' blindly seeing'.  
This made me shake my head before I popped open the delightful beverage and took a few gulps.  
'Might as well go back and talk to Deneuve about the case.' Yeah, I knew about the whole whining because I didn't have a beer before I got one myself thing. I wasn't addicted I had just adapted to waking up to a nice cold beer.  
I was just in time to see L researchin cameras and something flashed in my mind.  
"It won't work." I heard myself say impulsively. He turned to look at me over his shoulder with his wide eyes. They were so child-like sometimes and it made me irritated because I had a soft spot for it.  
"What do you mean, Fleur?" His question made me shrug. How was I supposed to answer a question I didn't want to answer even though it would be the right thing to do?  
"I mean, they're so paranoid they'll find them and know someone knows a bit about their ways. They'll make things even more difficult for us and we'll end up losing them."  
"I have a question." My view shifted to him as I tentatively made my way closer to the man crouched in the chair. His naturally almost porcupine like hair shielded his eyes from my view now.  
"Don't we all..." I said under my breath.  
"When this went on in Marseille...how long did it last?" My vision blurred slightly as I dug into my own mind in order to find that information.  
"Almost a year. I was seven when it ended."  
"How do you think you are able to remember these things from such a young age?" The look I sent him was blank as I thought of everything.  
"Your guess is as good as mine."  
________________________________________  
Reviews are welcome! Any questions about the story so far just ask! Next chapter is 'Perdita'.  
Translations!  
Café de défi et le fait de frapper automobile- Defiance, coffee, and car bashing


	4. Perdita

Perdita

Non sulum ut flos est Perdita

 

I had to make sure that I didn’t get drunk to the point of passing out every night like I had for just about every night since half a year ago. I don’t know what happened in order for my drinking to shoot upscale on my needs list but I really didn’t care right now. The less often I pass out drunk the less questions he would ask me...pertaining to things other than the case, anyways. This was Deneuve and he always had a question or two lying around somewhere. His timing always seemed to be just right as well and in the confines of my mind I found that to be another inhuman thing.

“If you get hangovers and headaches all the time there’s a 57% chance that it has something to do with your nearly constant drinking.” He was spouting one of his statistical lies. I had figured that they were false when I thought about the time he had in order for his mind to actually comprehend the statistic...and in this case there was also the real case that was at hand.

“97% if not more of statistics are false.” I countered taking a long gulp of my beer. This earned me a look that I simply tossed a smile at in return and shrugged my shoulders with false nonchalance.

“Hey, you know that could be one of them.” My need to get out of this building and explore my surroundings a bit competed with my want to just sit here and nurse my beer.

“There is another reason as to why you are here, Fleur. I’m sure you know that.”

“I didn’t but I was kind of hoping.” This murmur was true. He brought up pictures of the twelve locations.

“Well,” He popped a piece of melon into his mouth and chewed thoroughly as he thought.” you are knowledgeable of the psychology of serial killers like this. Could you tell me more?” My ears perked and my eyes followed. Examining a serial killer’s crime scenes and victims to explain what type of person they were was my specialty here. I was the type to study the human mind more often than a test. Once I had even gotten in trouble for it because I picked apart a teacher that failed me on something I knew I had aced...it didn’t end well.

“Could you bring up all the victims by squad murder on another screen?” He did so and I scanned everything for about thirty seconds before explaining what I saw.

“We weren’t looking deep enough before. There is another connection here that wasn’t there in the murders in Marseille. We thought they were all random because they were that way before, but these people have switched it up slightly. Each one of these victims can be ‘tagged’ to one specific murderer.” Squinting my eyes as I went over the faces of the victims, I continued.” I suggest you let me look over each and every single one of the victim’s profiles. Judging by them and how they were found it shouldn’t take me very long at all to make these connections.” I looked away when images of another crime scene from the past filtered into my mind.

“Is something wrong?” L had noticed my sudden uneasiness and now appeared slightly concerned.

“It’s nothing, Deneuve. It’s just that there were certain things I overlooked...each of these four individual killers picks their victims according to their own personal and biased views of purity and innocence. Also, unlike the original case...they have no boss and actually work as a team or some twisted up version of a family.’ The buzzing told me that he had already started the printing process.

Not long after everything was printed out, the floor was hidden underneath photos of the victims alive and dead along with their personal profiles and forensic reports. I was seated in the middle, slowly draining my beer as I read, thought, and made notes.

They all stuck to the same age cluster and never went a year under or over it just like the original case. Each of them was different and independent but none of them seemed to answer to the other three. This last part was something I tucked away in my mind for later use if I could. I made piles around me numbering the victims one through four with one standing for the most brutal of the killers. If there was a leader it would probably be one because their killings were merciless and the most brutal of all. They seemed to pick people (mostly females a 2:1 ratio right now) with large eyes, dimpled smiles, and a generous amount of charity hours on their file.

‘Smile...something none of them would ever get a chance to do.’ Floated past my mind as I placed all three of them in the first pile. These murders were most likely done by a male, a very violent and hateful one who seemed to hate his victim’s ‘purity’ and even envy them for it. As a person’s emotions were displayed in the ways their victims were, in this case, cut up...giving them a sort of signature. The slices Number One dealt to his victims were the most vicious and unrestrained out of all of them. When I looked through the forensic report on the victims of the most recent killing, I noticed that her gutting was the most animalistic of them. While the others had only cut deep enough to rid the person of a majority of their insides, this guy cut and stabbed as much as he could and even punctured and cut a line in part of her intestines. The stab to her heart had nearly sliced it in half. This was the one they had to be the most wary of as they would be the most likely to turn on one of his own fellow killers.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Not long after I printed out what she had requested she walked back with four separate files which I could only assume were the separate profiling of each murderer, glanced at the mess already there, and frowned. Fleur then turned and slowly meandered to the couch once again placing the files in a line. I had caught that the files were numbered.

For some reason she walked back and stood to my left for a moment, staring at the clutter again before using both of her hands and just a pinch of force to shove it all off the desk and onto the floor.

Before I could ask if that was necessary she had already gone back, picked up the files she had been working on and laid them on the desk in place of the clutter with the file with the large green one on the front directly to my left. If I had asked, there was a one hundred percent chance that she would’ve said yes. Instead I once again looked up at the screen and saw something that Fleur and I had missed earlier. It was so tiny that it was nearly impossible to see from this distance and angle by the naked eye, so I zoomed in on it as much as was needed.

“Would you look at that?” Fleur muttered as she had looked up and noticed what I had found. It was an image much like the one that Fleur had drawn earlier.

“They are marking it for God so that He can witness what they are doing for Him. To show Him that they are purifying themselves as well as releasing their victim, the one they believe to be too good for this world, from it and sending them back to Him. Almost as if they were telling Him to be ready to welcome them with open arms. This one was done with a Wustof Ikon...a cooking knife commonly found in Germany. It has a comfortable handle and tapered bolster. They’re sharp and well balanced. Not only is this knife more than likely the one used to murder his victims...” I considered that not all who lived in France were, in fact, French, though this could just be something they could use to throw anyone trying to find them off of their trail. I pulled up and found ones in the other three warehouses too.

“All three of these were used with a puuko knife. It’s an all purpose type of knife. If I remember correctly they started in Finland...the making of them, anyways since it dates back as far as the year 1610.” I picked up on the fact that both knives could be used for cooking.

“They already have knives for making their...meals.” She stated, not seeming to like the taste of the sentence.

“Do you think that the killer you’ve labeled as Number One is really German?” Her voice held as much certainty of the answer as my mind, which I found to not be enough as I heard her curse. Cocking my head back diagonally out of curiosity, I saw her peering into her more than likely empty beer can. How anyone could care so much about an alcoholic drink the way Fleur did I had no idea.

“I’m going out for a bit to get some supplies.”

“Watari will drive you.” As if on cue, the elderly man walked into the room, and smiled at her warmly.

“The limo is waiting out front.” I lifted my head in time to see Fleur’s look of confusion and slight suspicion. Her left brow was raised over her slightly widened eye while the other was lowered in a minor squint, and her full lips took on a pouty stance to complete the look as her eyes went from me to Watari.

“How did he know I was going somewhere and so quickly? I just now decided that I wanted to go somewhere so he couldn’t have possibly...” She shook her head slowly with a sigh.” You know what? Forget it. I don’t care.” Her hands went up while her head went down as if she was being arrested with those words and she pivoted on one foot and followed him out the door.

My eyes flickered to the files she had organized so wordlessly not long before. They lingered on the floor where older cases that I had already solved lay victim of Fleur’s most recent irrational yet silent outburst. Returning to my previous thought, I flipped open the manila folder and came face to face with her hand written notes. What I read amazed and disturbed me.

~Male, sees what he’s doing as an art and is very gentle/careful with the women he kills as though he had at one point been their lover. Doesn’t seem to like cutting their faces as any wounds there are very shallow. One of them was even smiling with something like a look of being at peace in her eyes when she was found.

~ Seems to believe that females with a child like essence and a grown woman’s sweet face are innocent. May have a wife or lover that fits this criteria.

~ He’s a sociopath with a romantic view of what he does and is probably the most charming and persuasive out of the four before he kills his victims. Has the most self control since he seems to be holding back a hidden aggressive impulse. Could be as bad as Number One if not worse.

Fleur had been studying psychology even before she started her self-claimed ‘freelance’ detective work. I didn’t know when she started but it was at least two years ago. I had seen the books that were in her room with subjects like sociology and profiling. She basically examined people for a living, which meant her notes were accurate.

Now that I thought about Fleur, I noticed that there was something somewhat off-putting about her that I couldn’t quite place-

The familiar sound of the door opening and closing on a camera of the foyer snapped me back and my eyes followed Fleur and Watari as they disappeared from one screen to show up on another. It was like they were walking through a virtual word and were about to be fazed back to reality when the elevator doors opened on my level of the building. The young woman that went by Myles, Fleur, and who knew how many other names entered the room thanking Watari before walking up the steps the her floor. She didn’t really seem to mind a little walking here and there. Her small hands grasped bags of different sizes and colors, their contents hidden inside. I’d find out what she had gotten sooner or later so I refrained from questioning her.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

I needed something to help me pass the time because I knew that we weren’t going to get any farther until the next death came up, so here I was standing in my living room with bags of fabric and pillows that I had thought were useless earlier laid out and piled up awkwardly on my living room floor. It wasn’t something I used to kill time unless it really would actually do something. Though I felt like I was missing something but what was it...I hand stitched everything I did and I had more than enough thread and a needle for what I was planning to make.

Staring at the pillows intensely, trying to think about what it was...and then, after long enough, I remembered.

‘That’s right! I need a knife. God do I feel dumb.’ I thought with a pouty frown as I made my way into the kitchen to check out the knives that I had unpacked. I also had a puuko knife that I had bought before I left, having a feeling I would need it.

Flopping down at the front of my mess I smiled as I slit a line down the corners of my first pillow. I loved how it simply gave way under the sharpness of the blade. Like a lost mind giving into the gentle pull of a comatose reverie that could further take them away from the real world...the world they hated so much.

Being sure to separate pillow cover fabric from stuffing and any lining the pillow may have had, I worked my way through the soon-to-be organized mess. Soon it would be nothing more several piles of scraps on my floor. Everything assigned a spot on my living room floor. Fabric colors and types organized alphabetically in columns. Doing this took little more than two hours and from there I took seat on my grey, black, and white plaid loveseat and analyzed my progress. It was so outlandish, the brighter and even some of the darker colors sticking out amongst the Twilight Zone look of the room.

Of course, my mind was still on the case that was commencing at this very point and time. This folding and curving of unpredictable death and... utter insanity. The very thing that I needed to remember was just that. That these people were insane above all else. Warped animalistic predators that fed off the naiveté of those that they killed. This ‘sacrificial’ crap was only a slice of what carnage lay to rest in their minds watching and waiting for the perfect person to come around for them to steal away and use for their pointless evil antics that they deemed moral and right.

In my thoughts, my rage had increased, which had also increased the working of the knife in my savvy hold. I was able to work at this pace absentmindedly for a short time. Before I knew it I had sliced open the tip of my right index finger. As I searched for the reason for my being injured, I remembered that I had been dividing a pillow cover into more suitable pieces, when my knife curved...which is why I was sitting there, staring at the wound with indifference. I barely felt a thing as red droplets fell in soundless bits onto the dark floor. Suddenly, I felt myself get picked up from the ground and seemingly air-lifted into the bathroom by two arms that I knew to belong to my most recent acquaintance, Bastien. When I started to actually use my ears I soon regretted doing so as all I heard was yelling.

“: Are you trying to kill yourself?!Do you have any idea how deep that is?!...:” And it went on like that. Boring and sickening really but I let him wash it off and wrap it up anyway.

“What would you do if Susie had seen this?” The change of language had caught my attention before I registered in my head what he had said, and my head snapped up to lock eyes with him. It meant that she was here and that he hadn’t wanted her to see me bloody and careless about it. My awareness of a similar act that had gone on years and years ago entered my mind then exited just as quickly as none other than Susie herself stepped into the room.

“: You have a really really big mess going on in that room, Fleur. What are you planning to do with all that fabric?:” At the sight of the girl, a smile plastered itself on my face naturally. This kid was seriously growing on me.

“: Make something beautiful.:” This answer seemed to perk her curiosity until her eyes fell on my injured digit. Moving my own eyes to it, I examined the bandage work more than felt the pain.

“: Nothing to worry about. Come on, I’ll draw out what I plan on making.” I explained as stood from the spot where Bastien had originally forced me to situate myself and walked out, continuing to completely ignore the slowly growing discomfort coming from my right hand that went from the tip of the digit to a small ways below the second knuckle. All for her benefit...so she wouldn’t worry.

I then focused on supplying myself with a piece of paper and a writing utensil before I started on the picture. Lines morphed into strokes and from there they became a skirt with a layered corset top. To explain the color pallet I wrote in the colors and made arrows to show her what was what.

“: So far, this is my first design idea. It helps me deal with the time often taken for cases.:” I explained and she made an ‘oh’ face. I could see she was tired and I looked to Bastien, who knew what to do.

“: I’ll be sure to show you what it looks like when I’m done, okay? Right now, I think you need to go to bed.:” She seemed to pop up at the worst times every now and again. Bastien picked her up and carried her to the couch, where she fell asleep within minutes of her laying down.

“What were you thinking bringing this child here? Doesn’t she have school or something else for her to do?”

“Parents wouldn’t listen to reasoning. I was put in charge of watching her and I live here on the second floor with her.” Bastien, like all living people that I didn’t associate myself with on a regular basis bothered me, but right now it didn’t affect me as much.

“Help me with something, would you?” He got a look on his face that looked like a deer sensing it was about to get stuck in some headlights.

“You’re not gonna make me your model, are you? I don’t know what kind of impression you got of me when you met me but I don’t cross dress.” I looked at him incredulously.

“What?” He shook his head and smiled, giving me the feeling that he was feeling awkward now and that I should probably laugh and pat him on the back in order to help him out a little.

“I’m not that mean. I wanted you to measure the lengths of the hemming material and write it all down.” Was my alternative answer and I didn’t have to go near him.

“Is there anything particular about me that makes you so distant? You’re avoiding being anywhere near me without even trying.”

“Then you shouldn’t feel bad because I do it to just about everyone. I don’t like being close to people.” While saying this I had collected some thread and a needle and started some dark blue lace trim to the hem of a black crushed velvet rectangle of fabric. Making the skirt would come first. There would also be more detail to it, but that would also come be later on.

“You aren’t even working on the case.” He muttered.

“Yes, actually, I am. I’m doing a very good job not telling Deneuve how bored I am...by the way is there a special reason we’re talking in English?”

“So Susie doesn’t understand if she’s awake.” Bastien hurriedly replied, probably because in just about every language names stay the same.

“Okay. There’s also me wondering why you’re here in the first place. Susie could have easily come by herself.” His good-looking face held an uncharacteristic frown that creased his eyebrows ever so slightly.

“I wanted to see the files but L won’t let me see them.” A closer look told me it wasn’t bullshit.

“He probably knows that this case is too much for your sensitive mind. Much like those of his Task Force. They may have been through some gruesome things, but this is hardly a usual thing to find here...let alone weekly.” I knew he was waiting for me to tell him something but I targeted another subject.

“Why is Susie living here with you? I thought she was coming back to see her parents.” This question was one I realized too late was not a very good one to ask as I watched his eyes fall to Susie, and a sadder expression fill his face.

“Don’t tell her this but...they’re dead. Sometime during the first day she was with me...there was a fire at their house...neither was able to make it to even the front door.” I was somewhat suspecting of things other than that happening.

“It wasn’t in the news or anything like that.”

“Why would it be when this case is going on?” He shrugged, his eyes still on his little sister.

“It’s for the best anyways. Susie would probably fall to pieces if she ever found out.” I glanced at the small silhouette curled up on my sofa. She looked even younger with her eyes closed...her hair falling over the arm of the couch that she was using as a pillow. Bastien had placed a blanket over her, so that she wouldn’t be cold.

“You’re making it even worse by not telling her.” I could relate to her too since I had been through something similar but farther up the scale. Bastien slowly sat on the floor a small ways away from me, respecting my need of space.

“I know... but it’s not something you tell a girl of her age.” This puzzled me and I momentarily stopped what I was doing to ask him what he meant.

“Look at her. She’s a kid. Telling her something like that will only take what’s left of her childhood years away from her. She’ll lose that happy smile and that curious look that makes people melt. She’ll change and never change back. I can’t take those years away from her.”

“But you’re willing to hide from her that a fire took her parents away from her? You’re going to slip up and fail at one point or another depending on how long you plan on keeping it from her. Someday, if you haven’t already told her she’ll find out and end up...possibly hating you. Are you really willing to risk that?” I know he heard me but he had such a crestfallen face that it hurt me and made me stop talking. I wasn’t use to this sort of thing. All I understood was what it was like to have somebody hide something from you until you found out at the last second and...hated them for not telling you and ruining your life at the same exact time. I had to tell him one last thing.

“Do what you want but if she ends up hating you then it’s your own fault. I won’t tell her because it’s not something for me to tell, so don’t worry. The more people you tell about this, the more upset she’ll be when she finds she was the last to know and the most directly involved with the subject.”

“How do you know this?” I shrugged.

“Now that’s something that’s none of your business. I have my secrets like everyone else and I like keeping it that way. If they aren’t involved...you don’t have to tell them. That’s your decision-or at least, it should be.” I began stitching the two end of the skirt together, knowing that if I finished this that it would have to be nearly morning.

“For someone on this case, you’re very casual.”

“I guess,” I shrugged.” But so are you. You’ve dealt with something similar, haven’t you?” His slight flinch told me everything I needed to know.

“So, who was it? A friend? Girlfriend? Older sibling? Another not so direct relative? What’s your real reason for agreeing to be here?” Using my skills in picking people a part was something I did without even knowing it sometimes. I sat back a bit more, shifting my balance as I continued to hand sew the skirt together. It was going to be layered. That way I would have no choice but to spend more time on it to prolong the finishing of the total outfit until at least the end of the week.

“My cousin. He was a serial killer that had actually started off with his parents...as in our,” He motioned to himself and Susie a few times.” aunt and uncle. Well, one of them. He killed a few more couples, about five or so...keeping them around a month a part each time. He died in prison a while back.” Having been listening the whole time, I knew that he was zoning out to remember it. Something I did all too often myself. I guessed that I could befriend this guy since he seemed nice and we had some things in common that we could talk about if we felt we could to one another.

“How’d Susie deal with it?” He shook his head and sighed.

“She still doesn’t understand what death is and it happened when she was even younger than she is now. I’m not willing to risk how strong she might really be. She’s already nagging me about seeing our parents again. Susie really loves them...she shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“Don’t make things harder for her than they need to be. You’ll hate yourself after awhile if you do.” It was just another warning. One more was all he needed as he got up and walked over to his snoozing sibling and gently picked her up carrying her to the door. I stood up and opened the front door to save him the trouble.

“I’ll try to remember that. Thanks for the talk.”

“Sure, right. See you later.” I closed the door behind them and turned to my mess again. It was about that time that my scars started hurting...as well as my wrists, so I walked into the bathroom to deal with it the only way I could, leaving everything where it was on the floor.

Phantom pains were never as common as they had been during this case. It was something I had picked up on as I undressed, shedding one article of clothing after another, letting them drop to the ground one by one before kicking them into a corner of the room.

Knowing why they were there sent a tinge of frustration to my usually calm eyes. The only way they would stop bothering me as often as they did was if I solved this case. So many things were against me at this point...so I blamed Dior for ever telling me that a similar case was going on in Tokyo. I blamed him until the water hit my skin. Then I just stopped caring and thinking about everything that was going on outside of the room I was in.

In fact, I stopped caring and thinking about anything other than what was going on in my mind, which thankfully at this point and time was nothing. Nothing but the comforting spray of the water.

Until I remembered something was missing.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Apathetic, cautious, blunt, self isolating, and emotionally withdrawn. With the little that we had from this case, I had decided to try and figure out the inner workings of my strangely minded fellow detective. The list of things I saw in her continued to make a pattern in my mind. With the way she was it was difficult to pin point the exact reason why she changed into the person she was today. There was no way it had been because of the case that had gone on during her childhood ten years ago alone. Somewhere there was a deeper meaning to it.

Bringing up the newspaper articles from ten to eleven years ago in France, I didn’t look for the similarities and differences in the two cases like I had before. Instead I looked for anything deeper that had gone on...but there was a paper that was missing from the archives in my database. The one that I probably needed most...the last one.

Sighing and making an annoyed face at the screen I checked for any evidence that someone had hacked the system and found that someone had about three or four years ago.

‘What is it that she doesn’t want me to know? Not just me either. There’s a connection here that could possibly have something to do with whatever’s on her back and she’s not letting me fill in the blanks. It’s starting to wear on my patience. Does she know that it has nothing to do with it...or is it that she could possibly be targeted if anyone knew of it? If they really were copy cats that knew of what had happened in Marseille and had possibly even been there...wouldn’t they have also known of anything that would’ve had something to do with Fleur?’ About then I realized that she could just be trying to keep her real name from being found out through the papers. Many people that worked cases like this when they had a connection usually wanted to keep their identity a secret from both ends. The main thing that bothered me was that thing on her back. It screamed a strange mixture of things that made me second guess what I was seeing. I saw pain and anger on her back but at the same time I saw a determination to get it over with. Something like this was rare to find and if her father was a detective in the past...then why would he do something like this to her?

I chewed my left index nail to nothing as I remembered that I had only assumed that her father was a detective on the case... what if he had had another connection? Was it possible for him to have been a victim at the time? No, not if he had done something like that to his own flesh and blood. Then the idea fell on me that he could’ve been one of the ones that had been killing and sacrificing civilians in order to fulfill his own delusions. Had he escaped? Was she trying to protect him? Was he here and still involved in the case or was he one of the ones that had died long ago in the lost case of Marseille?

I needed to stop making assumptions that I couldn’t prove. I had nothing other than something to call her and her personality to work with in order for me to make my deductions. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to hide a murderer even if it was her own father and she was seven. Just something more... a print, a name, a face- anything like that would help.

‘It’s like she thought of everything to keep her safe before she even started being a detective in France. Somebody that does something like that must feel like they have a lot to hide if they can’t even wait until they actually start undercover work to get rid of anything that may tie them to their own past.’ I pondered this over a slice of freshly made strawberry cake. A tune that started off with what sounded like a harmonica and an accordion mix started out of nowhere and I looked for the source as I heard the words.

~J'en vois des qui se donnent, donnent   
Des bijoux dans le cou   
C'est beau mais quand mme   
Ce n'sont que des cailloux~

The French lyrics told me right off the bat that it was Fleur’s cell phone. The problem was I couldn’t find it just by giving the surface of the room a glance. As the female voice continued to sing the ringtone, I realized that whoever was calling either meant or had meant something to her at one point or another.

~Des pierres qui vous roulent, roulent   
Et qui vous coulent sur les joues   
J'aime mieux que tu m'aimes   
Sans dpenser tes sous~

But if this person calling had significance in her present life...then what was she doing here instead of there? And where was that condemned device at? It sounded like it was coming from the couch, suggesting that it was underneath one of the cushions.

 

I had stood up and walked over to the item of furniture and slowly picked up each cushion, one by one, searching for the wretched piece of technology. How I hated cell phones. The more I heard the more it sounded like this person could tell me a thing or two about Fleur.

~ j'en vois des qui s'lancent des regards-

I caught the beautiful song in mid-ring and answered with a reflexive ‘ Moshi Moshi’.

“: Who is this?:” The voice was male and they didn’t sound too happy.

“: Who is this?:” I asked back, not caring to use the voice distorter and instead choosing the ‘drinking buddy’ voice I had used with my employees when they got into trouble.

“: Fleur’s boyfriend, Avent. Now tell me who you are and where Fleur is?:” Was he aware the Fleur wasn’t her real name? Was I sure that this was true? He seemed a bit too aggressive for my liking.

“: Oh, I’m just a friend of Fleur’s...she’s not here at the moment, can I take a message?:” Well, that answered quite a few questions already.

“: Tell her to call me when she gets back from wherever she is...and that I’m sorry for yelling at her, and all that other shit.:” He said, mumbling the last bit.

“: Okay, will do. Bye.:” And flipped it closed. So, I had a few bits of information on her now that might be able to help me. She had been in or was in a relationship with a man named Avent, who had yelled at her the last time they had seen each other. This was probably that ‘something’ she had told me she had to deal with before logging out for the short amount of time that she had. More than likely, during that time, she had broken up with him and told him to leave.

“What are you doing with my phone?” The last thing I expected to hear right now was that calm monotonous voice.

“There was a call.” Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Who was it?” Her voice sounded like she already knew the answer.

“An Avent, I believe. Does the name strike any familiarity into your mind?” I casually inquired. She reached her hand out towards me, in silent question.

“Are you going to call and talk to him?” She was already searching for the number on her phone.

“Something like that.” She replied waiting for him to pick up on the other end.

“: Avent? I heard you called. What’s up:?” There was sound on the other line and I listened curiously to see what she would say.

“Is that so? I don’t remember any of that mattering to me. I do remember that during this fight certain things happened to make me say it was over...even though it was over before these little happenings.” Her smirk at whatever he was saying back made me take a slow step away.

“Is that what you think? You think that I came all this way just to sleep with someone that I’ve never even met until now? Someone that I work with?” Fleur started laughing.

“: Fleur isn’t even my real name and you never once thought to ask my surname, did you? Why would you even care? You’re just like every other man in this world, Avent. You’re just more obvious than them with your nervous request for sex. You don’t know anything about me and you’re asking for me back...:” She listened for a minute and her face changed again, taking on a slightly more angered look, her lips pulling back in an animalistic snarl before she started laughing again.

“: You’re threatening me when you quite literally don’t know shit about me? Well, guess what, you sorry ass lying fuck. It really is over...and I’m never going to have to look at your smug face again. In fact...I’ll never have to hear your ringtone anymore either.:” I never thought I’d here such words come from a girl’s mouth so calmly. She hadn’t raised her voice once.

“: That’s right. You know how painfully honest I am about these sorts of things.:”

“: Good luck trying to find me then.:” With the close her hand, she shut the phone off and looked over at me.

“Sorry you had to hear that. My ex is probably the biggest juvenile mistake I’ve ever made in my life.” Figuring she must’ve guessed my thoughts on her words on the phone she added.

“I was serious, though.”

“I never questioned that.” I muttered lightly.

“I know, but only you know what you thought of what was going on between him and me.” She chuckled airily as she walked into my kitchen, seeming to be looking for something.

“I see. What are you looking for?” Craning my neck so I could see into the kitchen, I soon found myself quickly side-stepping a few times in order to get out of her way when she came back out with a hammer. Then after she sat cross legged on the floor, I saw her set the cell phone down gently, raise the hammer, and then begin to smash it to pieces.


	5. Questa

Questa 

Opes nos utor exsisto ut putus ut nos peto

 

Usually when someone tosses their coffee maker out the window while in their underwear, pushes papers off your desk, and smashes her cell phone with a hammer right in front of you...the natural response is to confront them on it and tell them they need to stop being so violent. Usually when they walk around half naked (and then possibly naked) at the age of seventeen without a care of being seen by someone of the opposite sex it makes you worry about what they’ve done living on their own... and Fleur’s been living on her own for a long time.

Quite frankly, when I stood there and looked at Fleur stoically examining the remains of her cellular device I could only stare and think of how angry she must be deep down. This girl with her accentuated controlled voice and impulsive actions couldn’t be mistaken for anything more than a human being. A tired, sad, angry, and childish example of a human.

To her it didn’t seem like one strike of a hammer to the tiny machine in front of her was enough. So she repeated the movement of raising her weapon and then dropping it onto already battered phone until it was nothing but pieces and a memory card chip. She picked it up in the hand with the bandage on it, and brought her hand up, turning it from side to side, checking the chip for any damages. Pocketing it, she just sat there for a moment before lifted her eyes up to meet mine. Pools of brown wavered and once again I feared she was about to cry before she dropped them to the computers behind me and the look turned to stone. Almost like she was looking and analyzing at the crime scenes all over again.

“Are you feeling better now?” Her eyes flashed to me again and she stared awhile before the corners of her mouth tweaked up, rewarding me with a small smile. Then before I could say anything more she stood up, announced she was going to sleep, and left me standing there as the only witness of her third outburst of anger in barely two days.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Somewhere in Tokyo

Thursday, 5:38 P.M.

I wondered if Carpus, Severino, and Vox had this much trouble finding angels like I did. Just about everybody in this city was tainted about as much as I was. Why was it that this immunity only lasted a week? They already found their angels and were watching over them...I still needed to find mine.

That’s when I saw her, sitting alone under a small roofed off area. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

This girl had such beautiful long onyx hair and some of the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. Such shining grey eyes that were practically begging for me to take her back to God.

‘ “: Angel.:” ‘ Was sounded in my mind by a voice that could only be God himself as I allowed myself to watch this wingless angel as she just sat there looking...utterly out of place. These surroundings were turned ugly by her ethereal presence, and I wanted to take her away then and there.

‘ “: You must wait until tomorrow. Take care of her until the evening of the day after tomorrow. Then you can send her back to me.:” ‘ He was right, like always. There were too many people around, and Severino and Vox always told me I needed to be careful of those watching.

I would make sure that I was the only one to give her back to the God that loves her as a way of confessing to Him my sins and telling him I wish to be able to see him too. No one else would be able to beat me to my constantly strengthening resistance from sin.

Deciding on a spot nearby, I roughed up my clothes, removed a shoe, showing a sock that had already gained a worn hole or two, and sat down on the concrete ground. Blending in so I could stay and watch over my angel.

It wouldn’t be long now. No one will be able to keep her from God any longer.’

‘ “: Angel...my angel...:” ‘

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

The ceiling I saw now was starting to get more and more familiar the longer I stayed in this building. It was probably the second or third night I had stayed here while not being in my bed like my first night. Then again on my first night I was more exhausted than I thought was possible from a plane ride. I had never traveled so far before. No more one way trips to far off lands for me.

For however long I stayed there on the floor of my living room, surrounded by my nearly finished outfit, the more I thought about how much more it resembled the night sky even more than my room back in France. Especially now that I had those glowing green stars I had wanted to get ever since I got here. Watari had gotten me enough to cover the ceiling and walls of both my living room and bedroom.

I sat up and looked about me, realizing that I had become bored of my arts and crafts craving, but I would make myself finish it. Whenever I felt like it I would go to other parts of Tokyo to find pieces of outfits I might want to throw together in the future. My growing restlessness was starting to irritate me as well as my new pang of anticipation as I realized that it wasn’t all that far away from being midnight...in fact, it was only about two or three more hours away from it technically being Friday.

Standing and stretching my limbs, soon led me to notice my slightly cold hair... the hair that still hadn’t dried all the way just yet. My long time ritual of taking showers until all the hot water was gone made me wonder when I went to sleep exactly. I felt just fine. At least, I thought I did.

As I walked towards my kitchen I had to tip toe my way around empty cans of beer that trailed to where I had slept like bread crumbs spiked with alcohol from a more adulterated version of Hansel and Gretel. When did I get such a pounding headache?

Opening the door to the fridge, the light blinded me for what felt like half an hour until I could clearly see what I was looking for; the orange juice. I picked up the large jug and spun off the yellow cap before chugging as much of the high fructose drink as I could. Having been a drinker for a couple of years now I knew the quickest way of ridding oneself of the brain stabbing demons that too much drinking brought with it.

Memories flipped on and off like light switches on crack in my head, and I furrowed my brow when I remembered a couple of things... like that Susie could speak and probably understand English and that Bastien either didn’t know or had forgotten this little fact himself. His forgetfulness was much like my own. Maybe that was why I was slowly finding myself growing accustomed to his presence.

‘While we’re on the topic of accustomed...why do I fell so fine in the company of Deneuve? We’ve hardly talked about anything other than the case and yet I didn’t find myself all that willing to push him away.’ Then the television clicked on all on its own, making me frown at his tactics for getting my attention...until I saw what was on the screen.

There were the pictures of three girls that were missing so far. When I examined them at a closer range, I found that the only one that didn’t have an innocent to kill just yet was probably Number Two, though something told me he was closer than what was considered comfortable.

Through the duration of the time that ticked past as I stood idly by the TV, pondering whether or not I should destroy it in order to send the message to Dior that I didn’t like this form of communication. If he wanted me to see him on the main floor then all he had to do was ask. If he had cameras around here then the likeliness that he also had an intercom system of some sort implanted and wired throughout the vicinity was high.

‘Oh well,’ I sighed.’ If he does it again I’ll find some way to dispose of it.’ Sizing it up, I noted that it was going to be much more difficult than killing a cell phone or dropping a coffee maker out the window.

‘I’ll think of a way later if he actually does it again.’ Those of you thinking that I’m a violent person that needs help...you’re probably right. Now...try thinking of it this way...if you were angry and given the chance to destroy a television set anyway you please without people getting mad at you because you could hold the ‘well, you’re the one that wanted me here in the first place’ card above their heads, how would you go about doing it? I mean it’s not like I really watch anything on TV and he’ll just end up replacing it, so why the Hell not?

When I reached his level and walked off the elevator, I felt my face puff up and my lips pucker unattractively when I remembered that I had forgotten my morning beer even after my hangover had subsided. I hated the imperfectness of memory and this could be particularly said about my own.

“Good evening. Thought you might want this.” Watari said, coming out of nowhere with a tray holding a single beer bottle on it with a familiar look to it.

“My beer...thank you, Watari. I could really use this.” Noting how drowsy my voice had just sounded, I popped off the murderous sorry excuse for a cap and took a long swig almost as soon as I was done thanking the amazing butler. The comfortingly familiar feel of the liquid burning its way down my throat made me take in a deep breath and sigh peacefully.

“I hope you aren’t planning on destroying that TV, Fleur. The way you were eyeing it, it looked as though you were trying to see if it would fit out your window. As much as I could afford another to replace it, I do not wish to have the need to do so. “ Greeted me as I entered the room.

“Then you’ll be sure to never use it to get my attention again.” My forced quick smile did not go unseen by him as I dropped onto the couch lazily. I hoped it made my point, though, by now I’m sure he knew what I was capable of. I never hurt people physically without reason and mostly took things out on inanimate objects that I hardly ever used.

“There’s something more to this reckless violence of yours.” At his words, I sensed a crawling in my mind like a bug trying to dig into my brain in order to remind me of my true intentions. I wanted revenge for people I didn’t even know and at the same time my own selfishness was telling me that I needed to find out who these murderers were no matter what it took or how long it took. All I really knew was that it would take longer than any of us wanted.

“And?” Just where was he going with this?

“And... although, I believe your ways of venting are both unhealthy and expensive... you want to tell me your real reasons for getting on that plane and coming down here?”

‘He’s trying a different approach to the case by going through me. No... he would’ve asked me this anyways sooner or later. He’s trying every approach.’ How very L-like.

“Yes, I do, but...as eager as you are to listen to me...I can’t tell you yet. It’s not the time for it.” His natural wide observant eyes checked my expression and I knew he wouldn’t find anything from it about as much as he did.

“Even if it would help this case?” L further egged on finger at his lip and eyes still on me.

“It wouldn’t...not yet.” The soft tilt of his head made me mentally purse my lips as I prepared for his question.

“And how do you know this, Fleur?” The use of my name was used as an attempt to further coax the truth out of me. War was well learned in manipulation.

‘Because of what HE told me.’ I closed my eyes. That’s what I wanted to tell him, but it wouldn’t help him to understand what I meant any better without causing me to dig even deeper than I could at this moment. That would take more out of me than I could afford.

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Do you not trust me?” A normal person would believe this to be an innocent question, while it made people like me realize just how well a voice could lie.

“If I didn’t trust you I wouldn’t have gotten on that plane, agreed to live here, or eaten anything that came from this place. I just don’t trust you enough to tell you about things in this case that concern my past. I’m very selective with the things I tell people the same way you are when it comes to picking out your cases. I mean, come on, if I had told Avent all those things, do you think him and I would have been together for almost a year? He would’ve left me right after I told him and then when he needed or wanted something he would hold my secret over my head like blackmail and use it in order to use me.” Just thinking about that misogynistic, selectively disrespectful, lying, and conniving imbecile made my face flush with fury.

“Why were you with him for so long if you knew all this?” With a shrug I found I couldn’t really say much.

“I don’t really know. Maybe I was just lonely. Needed somebody. Everybody needs someone. We’re humans, after all.” Mentally sighing at how pathetic the answer was I decided that it was good that I had at least been able to come up with a semi-decent one even if I might as well have been rambling to myself.

“From what you’ve displayed on the phone with him he doesn’t seem like a very good choice as someone to keep you company.” L assessed with another deliberate tilt of his head.

“I didn’t know until awhile after I started going out with him and after that I didn’t have much of a choice. I’m not exactly the best person to be around myself, if you haven’t noticed.” My short laugh ended my sentence to further prove my point. I knew that being around me wasn’t exactly something many people would do willingly if they knew me.

“I’m sure I’ve met worse.” He muttered, which made me wonder if I was supposed to take that as a compliment or not. I just decided not to say anything about it.

“So, what are you making?” He had changed the subject out of what I suspected to be pure curiosity.

“Just an outfit. Surprisingly, I’m getting bored with it.”

“Surprisingly? Do you think it’s because of this case?” Actually thinking about it, I found two possibilities.

“That or I’ve just become more restless naturally.” I didn’t normally get bored of something like making an outfit or putting something together. It was like I had been drinking beer all this time only to find that I hated it ... which was definitely not true.

“This is the case you’ve been waiting for, isn’t it?” War asked with casual knowing and I nodded.

“I suppose, though I would never wish for this to happen all over again, anywhere. I want answers.”

“Like what?” All I could do was smile.

“I’m not quite sure yet, Deneuve. All I know is that at the right moment I will have questions and they will be answered accordingly.”

“This may be a personal question but-“ I shook my head.

“Don’t warn me of it, just ask.”

“Was it your father?” Having only half expected this question I found myself taken aback and my eyes widened slightly for a few seconds before going back to their normal size. I was well aware of what he was inquiring.

“Yeah.”

“I had a feeling. I apologize if it brought back unpleasant memories.” His words seemed sincere enough, so I simply nodded as though he was at my parent’s funeral there to pay his respects and I was already numbed and become used to the dozens of ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘Take care of yourself’ comments. He seemed to have learned how to ask me things in a less personal and more direct way. The memories hadn’t really come back like they had at night and nights before because all I needed to reply to his inquiries was my own common knowledge.

“Does it have anything to do with what’s going on out there?” He continued and I guessed that ‘out there’ meant ‘in Tokyo’.

“Maybe. Have you tried looking for it online? There might be others like it.” Throwing in such a desperate suggestion wasn’t something I was used to but I didn’t feel very comfortable with the direction of this conversation. I knew I was the only one with this mark and if I wasn’t I knew that anyone else with it would be as willing to post it on the internet as I was. I hated having my picture taken for any reason.

“Just pictures like it.” He muttered and I practically launched myself towards the computers wanting to see who was actually that stupid.

“Where? Do they have explanations for what the markings mean?”

“Such a change of heart when I mention pictures. So you do know more than you are letting on. I was only lying about the pictures, by the way. I had a feeling you were lying to me and so I had to test it. You weren’t expecting to see any pictures and if there were you would automatically know that they were from one of the ones convicted or loose in Tokyo as we speak...or someone else that was branded by one.” There was a voice on an intercom that was undoubtedly Watari.

“Ryuuzaki, I just got word from the news that another young woman has gone missing.”

“The fourth? Does she fit the description?”

“She was homeless with dark hair and what would be considered sad eyes.”

“Thank you, Watari.” L hung up the phone and turned to me.

“The fourth girl has been kidnapped.”

“I heard.” I murmured to no one in particular but he knew it was me. Tomorrow when I woke up they would all be dead unless I woke up before the sun went down fully. It wouldn’t matter though. There was hardly any way for us to figure this out without more of an idea of what was going on right now. Yes, people were dying and being kidnapped by crazy people, but we didn’t know what kind of insane they were. This was a needle in a haystack times four. Just because there are more to look for doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier to find them. Not if they’re all about the same level of insane.

“So, what’s going to keep you busy now, Fleur?” The young male detective looked at me curiously as though he already had an idea and was trying to guess my thoughts before I even hinted at them.

“Make sure every corner of these crime scenes are documented and photographed. There may be more to each one than we think. I would like to go through them when you are done. We don’t want to miss a single thing that could get us that much closer to the truth.” When I said this, I felt like a bit of a hypocrite and I could also feel Deneuve's eyes on me again as if he were calling me one in his mind as well. It wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to.

“I’m getting drunk and going to bed, so don’t wake me up early until after they’ve died.” Thinking for a moment I stopped myself.

“Scratch that. If it’s not eight or later don’t wake me up. We’ll go over the new crime scenes later. If you can catch any of them in the act, that would be awesome. As for now...I’m gonna go pass out.”

“That’s not healthy, Fleur.”

“I’m going to die someday anyways, Deneuve, but if I do anytime soon at least I’ll know what it’s like to have a good time before I go.”

“That’s an... interesting outlook on life...in its own sort of way I can even see it as positive.” L mused not seeming to be able to grasp the definition of what I said.

“They’re words from a realists point of view. You saw what was on my window, right?” Now that I thought about it I should probably erase that part now.

“You mean the details we need to look for in the last unrepeated squad deaths?” L peeled back the paper on a fruit roll up and started nibbling on it. He does know that sweets are bad for you, right?

“Yes.” I found his rhetorical question of an answer extraordinarily helpful.

“Well, yes. That was about the same time that I noticed that your whole back was covered in...marks.” He muttered absently, and I pursed my lips to hold back an angry spout of words. I didn’t even like remembering that I had those mentioned ‘marks’, but it was better than me forgetting them since they had purpose here. More like would have purpose soon.

“The seven deadly sins are carved into the flesh of the victim while they are still alive, and then they are drowned in holy water. The eighth squad involves holes that are drilled into their arms, hands, feet, and legs. Then six even holes three on both the left and right side of the victim’s chest, mid section, and then right above their pelvis. Through the neck... and then the head with a total of twenty-eight. Some lived until a hole was drilled into their necks and even skulls. Then the ninth...body is hand sliced to bits, bones removed, and no prints. There are never prints, Fleur.” I had the luck to notice his patronizing last sentence but shrugged it off. There was always something.

“I know but I thought I’d add that while I was zoning out in order to remember it in the first place, you know? It’s something I do when I’m out of it.” My words were not meant to sound defensive but seemed to be lining my words as though I was answering to him.

“I find myself worrying about you when you are ’out of it’. You don’t appear to be here even though you are. Your mind leaves us and it makes me question if you will ever come back to us.” Sensing that this was true, I suddenly felt a slight discomfort wash over me. As nice as it was to have someone thinking of my well being, knowing that my mental state was likely becoming an unpredictable variable in this new equation of a case titillated my uneasiness. The fact that someone else noticed wasn’t much help.

“Believe me when I say this, Deneuve. I would only ever leave this world of my own will if I had the choice to. It’s too selfish a thing for me to do just yet. Besides, who’d remember to get my beer?” He seemed to pause for a moment, no doubt sizing up whether or not my mind had already turned inside out and that he had spoken too soon.

“Why is it that you seem to care more about your beer than your mental stability?”

“Get me a beer and I will gladly answer your question.” This playful uttering was proof of my growing liking to the man with the title of ‘Best Detective in the World’ hanging on his shoulders. To my surprise I actually got one.

“Didn’t know you wanted an answer so badly.” There was a clicking sound signaling that I had opened the can. After taking a gulp I continued on with my reply.

“But it’s because if I go insane it’ll just help us solve the case and end the killings that much faster. If I can think like them I can beat them because it takes awhile for one’s mind to truly go over the edge so I’ll still be able to focus here until my job is done. Going insane is just another way of saying ‘evolving to true genius’. How do we know that their reality is not the true reality and that they don’t just see, hear, and feel something beyond what we ourselves are capable of? Who are we to judge that? Who are we to say that our reality is real and theirs is not simply because it is different?” Now I was curious as to how he would respond. I set my eyes on how he looked as he thought this through, picking this and that apart to find the real questions I was asking and the ones I didn’t really ask expecting an answer too.

“I don’t really have a response to that, Fleur. Then again, were you really expecting me to have one?” The voice he used sounded curious but oddly enough I sensed something else behind it.

“To a point perhaps, but it’s because we are human and as humans we see things the way we want to. I see things one way while you could see them a totally different way. Same goes for what we hear and feel. To us...our perspective is the right one. To them it is right to do what they are doing. They have left one perspective and leaned towards another probably more preferable one, for them.”

“As humans.” He said softly to himself, although I heard, and I chose not to say anything more for the time being.

“If you were to diagnose them. What would they have?”

“That’s a risky thing to do right now. With such little information...but I would have to say schizophrenia. It fits best with their delusions and reasons for murder. For it to be so...similar in each person makes it seem like something else could be in the mix.”

“Like what?”

“Many things, Deneuve. I told you the possibilities with the information we have. The more that goes on the more we’ll be able to work with.” I was appreciative that I didn’t have to explain to him what schizophrenia was.

“Did you happen to read my book, Deneuve?” He nodded rather casually, but I had a feeling that was just about the only reading he had done on psychology.

“I figured that you would be using certain words pertaining to your originally desired occupation and so I looked into it. It’s as though you knew someone with every disorder...especially schizophrenia, I noticed.” So, he wasn’t too surprised with my diagnosis.

“My father had it.” L lifted his head and glanced towards me before his eyes drifted to the ceiling.

“Doesn’t that mean that there’s a high risk of you getting it?” I toyed with the idea as I half nodded.

“The chances waver as I age, but yes.”

“When will the chances be extinguished?” It was now quite a bit more obvious that he was searching for assurance to my sanity more than simply conversing with me about my published book. He was trying to pry into my mind.

“Late twenties to early thirties.”

“That’s quite some time.”

“Yes, and I don’t mind waiting.”I wondered if my humor had reached him and if he knew what I had done.

“Oh? Why’s that.” Well, there goes that.

“Never mind, Deneuve.” The smirk that had wriggled its way onto my face became unstable as I tried to keep my face straight.

If I didn’t know any better I’d say that the feeling I felt at this point and time was triumph.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

In theory and in practice, I knew that the smirk on Fleur’s face was not only inappropriate for the time, but also uncharacteristic of her.

What was she thinking? Had something I said in the last few words we exchanged somehow amused her? She was an odd one...a creature of hidden depths. Her mind unknown and fascinatingly well hidden from even my eyes.

It was until I went over a mental reenactment of our conversation that I paused and recognized the connection. Fleur had thrown me off topic and landed me in a random and irrelevant subject. In other words, she had noticed me stalling her inevitable unconsciousness due to intoxication.

“Was that really necessary?” There was a temporary silence before I got any reply.

"Oh, that wasn’t a rhetorical question?” Looking over at her from my spot was another way of telling her I wasn’t exactly vulnerable to sarcastic remarks.

“Sorry, but think about it, L. Have I ever really said anything that was considered unnecessary?” I made sure to note her point in the confines of my memory bank. By the time I found track of how many times she had done something that was considered ‘unnecessary’ Fleur had gone up to her room and come back with a twelve pack.

“Where did you find that?” I quizzed, my eyes following her as she intentionally swaggered to the couch, appearing drunken before she even opened the box.

“Somewhere.” All I could do was sigh at her mildly impish and overall vague reply.

“Why? Would you like to drink with me?” Following her words was the sound of tearing cardboard, a resounding (and lately familiar) airy sort of double clicking sound, and it was followed up by a louder pop not long after.

“I’ll have to decline. Truthfully, the only drinks I prefer are sweet and lack the hangover the next day...or, I suppose, in your case, the next night.” Fleur was already guzzling down the first beer from the box.

“Suit yourself and more for me.” She chanted as she swung her legs up onto the couch with her in one swift movement.

‘At least she’s not alone in her room like all the other times.’ That thought alone made me think about all those other times she drank herself into a coma-like state by herself.

By her 3rd beer, she was peeling off her socks and standing up. It was then that I first pondered how much of the brain drying substance she could consume whilst still retaining her ability to walk in a straight line.

“ I’ll be right back. I’m going to change.” Fleur voiced casually as she walked up the steps in a more sober fashion than she had used to get to the couch about two hours ago.

I was almost nervous about turning back around to see what she had changed into when I heard her softly padding back down the steps. Hearing the sound of a person flopping onto the cushion of the couch, I removed my gaze from the screen out of pure curiosity. Cargo pants in a camouflage design clad her lower half starting low at her waist and ending at her ankles... and were just as oversized on the area past her knees as the pants from before had been. Her right pant leg even drooped back when she restaged her original seating on the couch behind me. She let out a little huff as she sat up to lower the leg back and tighten the strings around her ankles so that they wouldn’t ride up while I absently continued to take in her attire. As I brought my gaze higher, my eyes were met with soft, lightly colored, ductile looking skin plus the few partially visible marks that I could locate from my view of her side until I found cloth. By standards, I could hardly call what she was wearing a shirt. It was black and appeared to be more like a bra or a somewhat conservative bikini top than anything else with its view of the majority of her upper body. The scoop neck collar swooped down to show about an inch of cleavage while it hung about the same length over her belly button. The camouflage straps of her top fastening in a belted way at the start of her shoulders.

“Are you checking me out or eyeing the beer? I’m probably not going to drink them all so...” Fleur was grinning sloppily as she followed up her habit with her fourth beer. I couldn’t tell if she was drunk or just being cheeky with me.

“Just seeing if you’ve lost consciousness yet.” I threw back flippantly, and she laughed.

“Nope, it’ll be awhile before that happens.” She chuckled. I took it upon myself to test whether or not those people saying that people that are drunk tend to say more were really telling the truth.

“Why do you do that?” Her eyebrows rose and she looked at me questioningly, sitting up once again. This time seeming more alert to my curiosity.

“Do what?”

“Drink yourself to sleep almost every night.” She fell back onto the couch lazily.

“Oh, that. That’s an easy question to answer. I’m used to it. I forget most of what goes on sometimes unless I absolutely need to retain the information. And to forget farther back stuff in my life. Like where the artwork on my back came from.” Taking another gulp from her beer, she shrugged somewhat sheepishly at me.

“: What can I say, Deneuve? I’m a coward trying to drink away her bullshit life.:” I forgot she tended to be brutally honest in the first place, but she still seemed to be a little dodgy. Either the saying was a lie or she wasn’t drunk yet. Her sudden language switch could convince me of otherwise.

“Why did he give you those marks?” Trying again, I saw her eyes fall to the floor for a brief moment.

“: He said it would keep me safe from harm.:” Fleur’s hair fell into her face.

Two carelessly chugged beer cans later she passed out. Right arm behind her head and bent at the elbow, left hanging off the side, left leg bent and fully on the couch in an awkward bend, and her right was thrown over the top.

‘What did she mean when she said that?’ I sighed as I slowly rose from my seat and walked over to her.

There was no way in Hell I was letting her sleep on the couch in such a way...so I carried her up to her room and laid her gently on her neatly made bed after pulling back the blanket. Fleur actually having a neat bed was a sign that she hardly ever used it, and the mess on her living room floor told me that she didn’t care where she slept as long as she was drunk.

I sauntered down the steps and continued my previous thought. Her father had made that thing on her back in order to protect her from something. What was it? Was it a delusion? Had she let him after hearing his reasoning as a seven year old child or...had he held her down? Memories of her rubbing her wrists entered my mind and it clicked that he had probably taken away the use of her limbs while he did what he did to her back. Made her lay on her stomach and...

Shaking my head almost violently, I blocked out the thoughts.

Fleur had a reason for being so eager to get drunk most of the time. That kind of pain wasn’t something anyone would ever want to have to remember.


	6. Renatus

Renatus

Alter ipse amicus

The Seventh Saturday

I didn't want to open my eyes because if I had really fallen asleep then I already knew where I was and what was going to happen. Being seven years old, not knowing my dad is a total nutcase, and then allowing him to put me through so much intense pain after he said that afterwards I would be safe from harm is what caused me to be where I was right now.

There was a clinking of chains as I struggled to get out of my restraints. My wrists and ankles were shackled to a table and I was on my stomach with my shirt off. I still had pants on and even socks, but for some reason he had told me that in order for it to work that I couldn't wear a shirt.

Whether I had my eyes open or not didn't matter as I felt the beginning of a searing pain in my back that was in sync with a horrible hissing sound, making me scream and seconds later delayed tears would rush down my face and fall off, hitting the floor and mixing with droplets of blood until there was a gathering puddle under where I was laying. This sound and pain would switch off between silence where there would be only pain and blood. He would stop and wet a wash rag and dab at them so that he was able to see if everything was even and then the pain would come back again- always seeming worse than before...until after what seemed like hours...the pain seemed to feel like nothing more than getting used to a different temperature of water. In the end, all I ended up doing was watching as this puddle of my DNA slipped away towards the lean in the floor, filling in the little straight lines and later flowing over them until they were stopped by the wall.

My thoughts were filled with things like ' Why was he doing this to me? He said he was protecting me from harm. If this is true then why does it hurt so much? Doesn't he love me? Did I do something wrong to deserve this punishment?' The droplets of sadness and life kept falling as I thought these juvenile things and blamed myself until it was all over. Until it had actually stopped.

' I'm sorry, Daddy. Am I dead? Is that why the pain stopped? Did you kill me because I did something bad? I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. I'll never do it again I swear.' As I was a child, I lacked the understanding of true death and that , in that moment the pain I went through was either as bad as death or worse.

I wasn't taken to the hospital and instead Dad carefully removed the shackles, cleaned the wounds he had inflicted on me, and wrapped me up. He had made me look as though I was wearing a sleeveless turtleneck top designed by mummies and I even had mummy wrist bands and ankle bands to go with it.

My limbs were afraid of moving and I constantly found myself sleeping in the fetal position in fear of feeling more pain if I even dared to think of looking up or eating. A month later I ended up forcing myself to move again, regardless of the pain because I had a reason to. Mommy was screaming.

The new motivation made me jump to my feet and race to see if she was okay but by the time I got there I was too late. Daddy was already digging into her stomach and eating her insides. Shock over came me and I was only able to stand there and watch as he consumed one organ after another. Mother's face was untouched, but horrible to look at because her features were twisted into some horrendous mask of fear and surprise.

After what couldn't have been more than a few minutes, I tried taking a step forward, but I slipped on something, almost falling back. I forcefully cranked my head down to see what it was, and automatically regretted it, when I found the source of my near unbalance was my own mother's blood. Opening my mouth for the first time in a month to even say something, I screamed at the top of my lungs as though he were digging his knives in my back and burning my all over again.

I saw him pause in his feeding and turn his head towards me. My shaking body was yelling at me to run away as my eyes were fixated on his movements. Every tiny twitch in his eyes was spotted by my eyes and I'd almost flinch every time he moved. I did flinch when he stood up, and my legs grew a mind of their own and took control of me, sending me into a running frenzy. I sped into the kitchen past him and searched for a way to protect myself and finding a knife, I turned and jumped out of the way in time to dodge his grab for me.

": Honey, drop the knife. We must listen to God. You didn't listen to God! You weren't supposed to interrupt the ritual!!!You must be disposed of so you don't tell anyone else-:" He clambered forward, saying a sentence every time he took a step. The only thing that had stopped him from continuing was the knife I had somehow stuck in his stomach. With visibly trembling hands, I stared in wonder as the blood of my father dyed his white business shirt a dirty maroon sort of color. I realized I was holding my breath until I started sobbing again.

": Why are you doing this?! Why'd you hurt me and kill mommy!? Why were you eating her?!Why?!?!?!What did she do?!What did I do?! Don't you love us anymore, Daddy?! You said you'd protect us!!!:" I cried as I pulled out the knife and he staggered backwards, but was still able to move.

": Mommy didn't believe in Gods way!" The man that was supposed to be my father bellowed. Then he charged at me and I felt the knife in my hands dig into his flesh once more, coating me in the warm red copper tasting liquid before he fell off to the side.

The police found me there half an hour later curled up next to them. My body cuddled up by my mother's, my breathing shallow and quick. Eyes tightly closed to block it all out.

My eyes flashed open and I sat up in a cold sweat, finding myself in my bed again when I knew I had originally been sitting our lounging on the couch on the main floor L used. How many more times was he going to carry me back to my room when I drunk myself into a stupor? It didn't happen nearly every night and had even fallen to about three days a week or once every three days, and I wasn't always asleep like he thought I was when he'd get up from his seat and slowly make his way towards me, gently pick me up bridal style, and walk to either the steps or elevator. The first time it had happened I had nearly flipped out, but my body wouldn't allow me to as it was too tired. I had simply learned to take advantage of his kindness. He never even complained about it the next morning, no matter how many times it had happened.

Did he pity, understand, or care when he took it upon himself to help me back to my bed so quietly? I wouldn't complain either but I also would never admit to anyone that I liked it when he did that. The feel of his warmth against the side of my body, the sound of his heartbeat lulling me to sleep like a mother's song, and that mixed with his even almost inaudible bare footed steps. It was like the lullaby I never got as a child.

Standing at the side of my bed and looking at the clock that rested on my bedside table, I watched as the glowing red number flickered to the next minute.

'9:30... I need to change out of these sweaty clothes.' I frowned, pulling off my clothes on the spot, and leaving them on the floor. Then I began to pull of all the covers on my bed, making a pile above my clothes. Before I did anything else, I took a shower and pulled on my hand made outfit. Then picking up the mess of sheets, pillows, blankets, and clothes I started out of my room towards the elevator making sure that the doors didn't close on anything that trailed.

When you're afraid of sleeping and falling into a dream world different from the one you zone off into while you're awake and you're also afraid of dealing with the real world sometimes...you're kinda stuck in one never ending nightmare. That's where I was and where I had been for a very long time. By the time you got to where I was at your mind was full of places you could hide under or in. My brain was a long hallway with doors that led to every sanction of my mind, but some of these places where my Hells instead of my havens and I preferred to keep those doors locked. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a ghost inside my head that would constantly unlock those doors... and this ghost was doing this a lot more often than usual. My dream hadn't gone that far in years and my only suspect was this damned case. Although I did not regret it because I needed to do this in order for the ghost to be at peace.

I hardly noticed that I had crossed the room that L was still in with my laundry. The thing I couldn't quite place was why I always used his room for this instead of my own. That was usually the time my mind would remind me that it was because I didn't like being alone. This little memoir would make me frown again until my mind wandered so far from its trail that I wound up thinking about something totally irrelevant.

Over the period of time I had been here (about a month and a week) there was a noted change in the way I felt about this place. It had easily become my new home and I felt that L and I were quickly becoming good friends. This was the part that was unusual for me but I supposed that the cause was not only our living situation, but the things we had in common as well. Our personalities, although different, still had enough in common that it made it easier for us to live with one another.

This was my first time actually living in the same house as another...in a way. If anything the building we were in could be compared to an apartment complex.

Something was different though and even Bastien and Susie had noticed it. Although Susie's interrogation was much less blunt and a lot more adorable considering her age and big innocent eyes.

Flashback to two a week ago

" Do you like L?" The young girl asked watching me piece together different parts of out fits I had gotten from various stores in places like Harajuku over the week. She seemed glued to the movements of my hands as I worked the needle to make a blue skull design on one of the black jumper skirts I had lightly grasped in my hand. I paused in my sewing and stared blankly at her, blinking every now and again.

": Well, do you?:" Susie repeated maybe a minute after my silence consisted. No doubt it had made her even more curious than the first time she had asked. She was like that.

" I don't hate him.:" I finally responded, and she made a determined face and stared hard at my face.

": Noooo. That's not what I mean. I mean do you like like him?:" How old was she again? Wasn't she a little young to be thinking things like this.

": To be honest, Susie...I'm not sure.:" Wasn't a lie.

": You've been around him a lot, you're always looking at him, you seem nervous yet happy around him. Come on, spit it out.:" Didn't I just tell her that I didn't know? I sighed at her insistent nagging. She was probably tired and starting to act on her crankiness. Susie was awfully observant for her age, but I knew that she was likely to have another reason for being here. A smart child is a useful one even if she's a tad too demanding sometimes.

I had to ponder this, and she sat there patiently waiting simply because she knew I was thinking as I took a gulp of my drink; red wine. Whenever I drank red wine the song would pop into my head. My mother used to listen to it all the time when I was very little. It had been her favorite.

": Why do you want to know?:" Peering at her with a smile mixed with narrowed eyes she beamed at me...I hadn't expected this kind of reaction.

": Because, silly. You're my friend and we're girls. Aren't we supposed to gossip and stuff?:" As much sense as this made it didn't sound like your average gossip with a little girl. I'll admit I thought about him often, that I was appreciative of his respect towards me, and that I might've developed a crush on him at one point...but I don't think I should tell Susie.

": He's nice, really uber smart, and he has panda eyes!:" Yup, I was right. Susie here had no idea what she was talking about. I don't trust that easily and as much as I knew L was all those things that sounded so attractive... I also knew that like every other person in this world he had a side he'd probably never show around Susie. No, I hadn't seen it, but... it was just natural for me to think that every guy I knew had a hidden dark side. I'm not talking Darth Maw or Vader here either... if L had any evil in him it wasn't likely it was very much.

": There you are, Susie. Go back to the room and sleep...and no more sneaking out to see Fleur.:" The man lectured, making Susie pout cutely, hug me, and run past him while she yelled good night to me.

": You came here to talk to me about something.:" Observing this, I went back to my work with a sigh. Usually, this wasn't so boring.

": How'd you guess?:"

": You made her leave and yet you haven't moved a muscle to follow her.:"

": Oh...well, I came to ask you a few things." What he possibly want to talk about? We already had a talk about the case awhile earlier. He stepped closer and took a seat on the couch nearby and we sat in silence before he asked.

" Did you sleep with him?" My eyes bugged out of my head and I whipped my face in his directions in order for me to make sure I heard his inquiry right.

" What?" I had to have heard him wrong. There's no way he was that-

" Did you sleep with L?"-outrageously stupid. He repeated had actually repeated it too, doing the same thing his sister had done only I had asked him to repeat his question. The next thing I thought was...oh, fuck, not him too. He lacked Susie's nature that made me soft so I let loose some well deserved verbal beating.

" No, and who the fuck are you to ask me such a personal question?"

" Kinda wordy there, Fleur." He chuckled. Simply sighing and going back to my work he opened his mouth again.

" Is there a particular reason why you're always downstairs now?"

" I'm not there right now, am I?" I asked him and he shook his head.

" No, but you never used to let yourself be around him so much after..."

" After I butchered the television and got used to being around him?" I finished, knowing that it wasn't how he would've said it. With his silence I continued.

" Were you speaking your thoughts in front of Susie again? You know she can understand English." My idle lecture may have lacked volume but I was able to make up for that in reputation. This was proved true by the noticeable lack of color in Bastien's face. He was probably thinking that he'd be the next thing she'd break. Fortunately for him I didn't take my anger out on people as I have mentioned before at one time or another.

" Look, Bastien. Stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours. You had just better be glad Susie's a child or I'd tell her on the spot why her parents aren't available right now or at any other time...ever. Don't try convincing her of otherwise either cause she'll just end up hating you even more." Getting to my feet, I pulled off my shirt as I walked into my room to try on the first outfit I had made. I changed from loose pants to tights and the skirt that frilled at the ends, was double layered in the same fabric, lace swirling around in circle with tiny red bows at their centers that were horizontally pinstriped. The hem reached just a small ways above my knees and the skirt itself was a pain to put on with the triple layer zipper, 4 vertical clasps, and then buttons. Perhaps I had gone a bit overboard with that part.

Next came the tank top strapped corset top. It zipped up the front and was hidden by buttons the color of raindrops and in the shape of crosses. The piece of clothing hugged my frame snuggly and I winced as I pulled the zipper up all the way. It covered(yet squeezed) my breast and very little showed and the straps were fine as loose as they were. Black frill hemmed both sides of the straps and went over the top hem so they could connect. There was no need for wire in most of the corsets I made and this was thankfully one of them. I found wire very troublesome sometimes. The double ruffle frill at the bottom was black under white fishnet and was about an inch long all the way around. There were four small red ribbon bows going down each side of the black top over the lace. For a finishing touch I added a crushed velvet choker with 8 tiny chains of various lengths hooping around it, making me slightly shiver at the coldness of the metal. Around the band were the same cross buttons that went down the front of my corset.

" I'm sorry, okay. I don't know what you went though, Fleur, but I probably never should've said anything in the first place."

" Damn right. You should've kept you mouth shut and bottled it up to make things worse for you." I stalked out of the room.

" Fleur?" Blinking back my memory and last night's little terrorizing ghost, I turned to find L standing in the doorway of the laundry room, hands stuffed in his pockets, body hunched forward, and his eyes cautiously testing me.

" Is something wrong? You were zoning out again." He explained and I gave a small half smile.

" No, just waiting for my clothes to get done in the washer." L quirked an eyebrow at me like I was some new specimen he didn't understand.

" They are done." Not hearing the watery sound of clothes being tossed around in a circle to mix with soap and more water, I stopped and my vision flashed to the washer. Shit, he was right.

" Are you sure you're alright? Perhaps you would like some coffee?" His suggestion sounded...nice actually. Rather tempting even.

" Sure, why not?" My head was pounding slightly for some reason as I moved the clothes I had into the dryer, but I blamed it on my nightmare.

" Anything in particular?" I mentally flipped through the many different kinds of coffee I could have and after I landed I spoke again.

" Chocolate chip frappe, please. " I monotone as I looked over the progression of the case, my mind always seemed to stray back to its gruesome hold. The seventh week seemed different than the one in Marseille when I thought about it. There were never any sayings in the first one.

" Find something out of the ordinary?" L's voice broke into my thoughts as I trailed off.

" Yes..." I decided to ask." How could you tell?"

" There's a certain face you make whenever you're thinking about something and when you get confused it changes into something else completely." That's right...he was a very observant character.

" These sayings." I murmured as I hacked away at the keyboard, making each of the four different phrases line up one after another on a separate tab. Three of them were in French and the remaining on in German. They were also signed. Voi, Severino, Carpus, and Cato. Latin names.

" They're from the bible." My gaze shifted to him as wonderings of how he knew that after they were translated just from a glance slipped into my conscious. I mean, I know that he knew French and that didn't have anything to do with it, nor the fact that he probably knew German fluently as well. When it came to Denueve I never questioned his limits in his knowledge of languages.

"À partir des profondeurs j'ai pleuré à toi, Seigneur;seigneur, entendre ma voix... - Up from the depths I have cried to thee, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Psalm 129: 1. ZÜRNET, und von der Sünde nicht: ich nicht der Sonne gehen auf ihr Zorn: Weder ihren Platz an dem Teufel. - Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.Ephesians 4:26. Je crois que je vais voir les richesses de l'Éternel dans la terre des vivants. I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27: 13. Nous allons tous debout devant l'arrêt siège du Christ. We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Romans 14:10. Their names may have Latin origin but it is unmistakable when you put two and two together that they have selected verses from the bible that focus on their aliases individually."

" Why would they let themselves be known like that?"

" Maybe it's a part of the ritual." His suggestion made sense but...

" There was nothing like this in the first case." I sat back on the couch and listened to the soft rumbling of the dryer as I thought about everything in its place. Spotting his focused eyes I waited for him to say something. When he finally did say something I couldn't believe my ears.

" It seems that what they're doing is a more evolved form of the first case. It's possible that they are trying additional things in order to try getting closer to God themselves. For instance, mixing bible verses with the killings as if to tell him who it is that's doing it. I've already scanned for anyone with these four names in the vicinity of Japan and found that my earlier prediction was right. They are using aliases...probably under the impression that God was the one that gave these names to them."

" Why Latin, though?" I wondered aloud, remembering how my father had started answering to Aleron*. The thumb L had pressed against his lower lip gave away what he was going to say next.

" I'm not sure. Perhaps...it's something that tells about how they are to their victims or something about their personality. Vox is voice, Severino is quite obviously Severe, Carpus is the bounty, and Cato good judgment. Why they go by these names and used them is something we can only guess at as of right now." He turned to me expectantly. There was something missing today...and whatever it was it was making it difficult to stay on track with anything.

" No beer today, Fleur?" L asked with a trademark slight tilt of his head. I blinked, realizing that he might as well have been reading my mind. That was what I usually had every morning. Grumbling to myself I shrugged.

" I think I'll start out with a freezing cold sweet and chocolatized drink this morning. The beer can come later with a snack. I might just have a daiquiri sometime after..." I trailed off, the last two sentences being said more to myself than him, and he seemed to sense this. Deneuve turned back around in his seat to face the bible text and was a silence that ran so deep I could almost hear the clock in my room on my bedside table flicker to the next minute.

" Was it a nightmare?" He questioned lightly not looking back at me.

" How'd you know?" My eyes lingered on the screen that could easily have been showing my room at the time that I had been asleep no doubt tossing, turning, and overall destroying my bed.

" I didn't until now." He replied back and I sensed the ever so slight ghost of a sheepish lining at the edges of his tone. L turned his head to the side enough so that I could see the side of his face not including his eyes since they were shadowed by his hair thanks to the seemingly downcast angle of his head.

" I'm guessing that you don't want to talk about it." The difference between L and I sometimes appeared to be that I was more blunt and straightforward with him unless I wanted to hide something...sometimes even then but in a different way. Deciding I would explain to him only the first part, I started talking to him after Watari had come in, handed me my drink, and exited the room.

" It was about how I got my scars..." I started as I told him about it and only that one thing, not leaving out any details that I could remember because I felt that I needed to finally tell someone and if it could help me gain the trust of this man as we worked together then I supposed that I could let unravel this little piece of information regarding my past.

" They're to...protect you?" Was the first thing he uttered after my story. I simply nodded and slurped more of the cold sweet coffee that was nicely topped off with whip cream and filled with chocolatey deliciousness.

" Doesn't that mean you're safe to roam the streets then?" This was something I had been considering possible for awhile now. All the same, I shook my head.

" I don't think so." After all, I remembered that even with these marks that my own father branded me with for the rest of my life that he had tried to kill me that night while he killed and devoured the flesh and insides of my mother. I shivered at this thought and turned my head away as if to will it away. I rubbed my wrists for a moment.

" Why not? You said so yourself that that is what he told you."

" It just means that I am not targeted as a weekly kill...it doesn't mean that I won't be killed if I ever caught one of them in the act." My back was stinging now. I could almost hear the skin hissing all over again and it made me wince and nearly yelp.

" How do you know this?"

" What is the most cold hearted case you've ever dealt with? The sickest and most vile? If you can find one more disgusting than the shit they're doing and have already done that's when I'll tell you everything...either that or when I actually have to for one reason or another."

" What are the conditions of the latter?" So this was his worst case yet.

" Sometime during or after the tenth week. I might need to tell you then to explain something to you." I had a feeling he would already understand by then, but I didn't say anything more about it.

" I was wondering why you were so withdrawn during the time you and I talked when you were in Marseille as well as here. Now it all makes sense and to think that there's more..." He threw himself off trail for a moment and then bounded back in the same monotonous voice he always seemed to carry."... only shows just how far you'll go to distance yourself from people...men particularly, I'm sure, in order to make certain that you'll never be betrayed again." I felt my eyes narrow involuntarily as I stared a hole into the empty container that once held the junk food form of delight. This case was starting to really get to me if I allowed myself to actually tell someone about anything that I had tried to erase from any and all possible databases. The only problem was that I would always remember it...the one database that could never be erased was set afloat behind my skull.

Well, now that I thought about it...it could be erased but it wouldn't help me in living my life. Shaking off those thoughts since I was getting off track yet again, L was observing me just like all the other times I had caught him staring at me in that same exact way. There were different ways he would look at me sometimes even though it didn't seem like it to the casual eye, but I was starting feel my forehead smoke this time and knew what it was.

" Look, he's the only one I've ever met or known, okay?" That's about the time that it clicked in my head. I stood up and walked over to the screens and I knew L had followed my gaze.

" We have names to stick to these files now. Now their ' types' are clear and we can practically track them." I muttered.

" Deneuve, have you been keeping an eye on the progress of the dots on my window?"

" Hm? No, I don't believe I have. Why? Did you find what it made?"

" Nevermind then...and no it hasn't made anything. I was just wondering."

" The Task Force is quite baffled by this case, you know." L spoke as he snacked on some animal crackers. The sound loud crunching was starting to make me hungry.

" I'm sure. None of them seem all that qualified for this case."

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

" Why do you say that?" I questioned curiously as I ate. It wasn't long before I heard her stomach growl and grumble at its absence of food. Offering her some animal crackers towards her, she looked down at them, to me, and then took a handful.

" Thanks." She muttered, and I nodded.

" You're very welcome. You really should eat more often. I bet that you wouldn't get as many headaches if you did. " I advised and her stomach growled as if to agree with my words, making me smirk as I called in Watari. The man who had raised me soon walked in and ask her what she would like to eat. Her reaction was to sit there thoughtfully for a few moments until she seemed to have made up her mind.

" Cheesecake, please...ummm, caramel apple swirl?" I looked over at her, not expecting this. Then again, I probably would've been surprised with any answer she gave as I had hardly ever seen her eat. It seemed that I was not the only one under this roof with an affinity for sweets.

" Anything to drink?" His warm smile seemed to make the girl pause, and I guessed that his kind gestures was something that she was not used to.

" Milk?" She seemed uncertain, and once again I found myself mildly surprised. I had been expecting her to reply with something like beer or some other alcoholic beverage. Was she trying to be out of her norm? I didn't move my gaze when I saw that she had caught me staring at her. I didn't have to look at her like this to know she was beautiful and I knew she was probably going to be angered with me for staring, but I didn't care. If only she would smile more often.

" Beer doesn't taste very good with cheesecake." Fleur scolded as though reading my mind. Setting my eyes line of vision back to the screens, I searched. The more I thought about it, the more obvious the answer was. No wonder these killings and so called 'rituals' were so brutal... how come I hadn't really thought that these murderers could be anything more than mentally ill. Fleur's story had only helped in assuring that notion.

' Her own father tied her down and scarred her for life. How could there be anything in this world worse than that?' I fought the urge to glance at her again.

' And yet I know that there's more. She made that clear earlier.' I could feel a bout of rage broil in my gut. I cast it aside, forcing myself to focus at the matters at hand, constantly reminding myself that people were dying out there. Four every week and the only reason why Fleur could deal with it, was because of her past that she refused to trust with me. Not that I could really blame her.

Sighing heavily I drowned my thoughts in pieces of pie, turnovers, and other fruit filled sweets. The young woman behind me was eating quietly, and the smell of the meal tickled my nose.

" Deneuve." She sounded closer than the couch, and I turned to her, eyes set at where her face was. The first things I saw were her soft chocolaty orbs...looking expectantly at me...and then I noticed the plate in her hands. Set on it was a rather large piece of cheesecake. Pure white melded with light brown swirls and crisps of what could only be brown sugar laced the top. I licked my lips reflexively.

" I thought you might want some." Fleur explained her tone pleasant and...mildly cheery. A nice change from her usual monotone and her lips even held a small smile. One so frail that I was afraid it would break if I looked away.

All the same I accepted the mouthwatering dish. Not long after doing so, I found that it really was as wonderful as it looked. It would be even better with coffee.

" Thank you, Fleur." My own, wide smile filled my features, and I saw her face contort to a look of shock. Curiosity took over once again.

" Something the matter?" I questioned, examining her features. She shook her head and looked at the monitors.

" No, you just have a childish accent to your person, that's all."

" Do I now?" I asked more to myself than her as she glanced at me, an expression of monotony on her face once more.

" Aside from your hate-to-lose nature, yes."

When I looked at her again she was pouting.

" This doesn't make any sense where's the pattern in where they take place? It's quite literally all over the map of Tokyo." She meant the killings.

" You've been keeping up with it then?" Her naturally waving rosy blonde locks bounced slightly as she nodded. It had been awhile since I last looked at her window art styled map. That's when I let my eyes move back to her from my seat.

" You finished that piece already?" I looked back to see a good portion of the cake still there( more than half) and an empty plate save for crumbs, evidence of what was once a piece of cake.

" Yeah, I'm a fast eater." Then she shivered and I knew what she was thinking. Food was hard to talk about when you knew what to expect from a case like this.


	7. Sergius

Sergius

Amantes sunt amentes

 

Hours went by and still no progress. I was hacking away at the keys and growing more and more agitated. We still had absolutely no idea where any of these people could be.

" Fleur, what do you think?" I turned my head towards her. Legs at odd angles and arms in one place or another told me that she was asleep. Her chest moved at a steady pace, lips slightly parted, and eyes closed softly. I always saw this to be a whole other side of Fleur. When you mixed her all together she was just like a stubborn little girl with, soft features, a bad past, complex sometimes unorganized thoughts, and a temper that she vented on inanimate objects. It always left me to ponder what was going on in her head and what she was still omitting from me.

Usually, I was against physical contact of any sort, but I wasn't going to make Watari carry her to bed. I was risking a few things here. If she woke up while I was taking her to her room, she'd probably freak and maybe even hit me while repeating the phrase pervert over and over again...not that I couldn't deal with that. She had already destroyed the television in her room after telling me it had little to no importance where it was. How hard did she throw the remote and how was she able to get it stuck in the TV in the first place? It was like she just stood in front of it and stabbed it there then proceeded to do it several more times until she backed up and threw the thing straight at it. I figured that she was just tired of not having enough to work with. Not knowing her reasons or really needing to, I could also only guess that the reason she was working on this case with me was because she had already dealt with it in her past and didn't want to deal with it here too. She just wanted to stop the murderous cycle.

I sighed, she hadn't even gotten drunk and passed out this time. Did she want to sleep on the couch? Shaking my head I had a feeling she had simply gotten caught up in zoning out and fell asleep and concluded it there.

There was something off about her from the start. She didn't take very good care of herself, slept at the oddest of times, had trouble staying interested in anything that didn't involve the case...I stopped in front of her bed with her still in my hold.

' Come to think of it...I'm the same way.' I frowned at myself and pulled back the covers of her bed, gently set her down, and covered her up. Almost immediately she shifted and ended up sprawled haphazardly underneath the down comforter.

Not being used to coming across this sort of person, I stared at her for a moment deep in thought...and then slowly turned and left her room... stopping again when I took in the mess on her floor. It wasn't really a mess, though, since everything was folded in piles and even organized by color. Her focus was there... but was that a good thing or a bad thing for her? How was she going to continue her life after this case had been solved? She'd probably find a boyfriend afterwards and maybe even be able to trust him...get married and even start a family somewhere down the line.

For some strange reason, Fleur didn't seem like that sort of girl. Then again, I couldn't really say what kind of girl she was. Fleur was interesting, yes, and had her kind moments, not to mention she was smart and quite beautiful. If it wasn't for everything that had gone on in her past...she'd probably be all those things (or at least in a relationship) by now.

Returning to the main floor I noticed that Aizawa was already there as well as Yagami. They were standing there studying the pictures. Yagami was obviously more composed but one could still see that he was immensely affected by them.

" Where are the others?"

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Waking up in the middle of the day wasn't something I liked nor was I used to it...and I didn't want to get into the habit of it. I had quite literally forgotten what it looked like during the day outside. Sitting up I saw a baby blue sky scattered with fluffy white, feather light, cotton candy clouds. Down below the city was full of color. I winced and fell back onto bed, staring at the ceiling, my glow in the dark stars just light green decoration on it. Rolling away from the unpleasant brightness, I remember that I needed curtains. I rolled back when I thought I saw something. On my bed side table was the rest of the cheesecake with a note.

Fleur,

 

 

I took another small slice, hope you don't mind.

 

 

-Denueve

 

 

The blink came right after, and I tilted my head to the side and looked away from it to my now brightly lit room. I didn't like this at all...I mean, how was I supposed to get back to sleep? I knew only one way to deal with it. So I got up and walked into the living room of my floor and collected a bunch of fabric in my hands. Then being too lazy I dropped it, got a better idea and brought my blanket into the living room. Closing the blinds and curtains in there after climbing the mountain of furniture that was a little too soft, making me almost lose my balance.

": Are you a vampire?:" Made me jump and I turned around to see Susie standing there holding the arm of a rather large lavender colored stuffed bunny rabbit, its floppy ears were almost as long as her arms and one of its button eyes was starting to come off, and it needed patching in some areas. Susie herself had on a pink button up pajama top with sleeves that were slightly too long and baggy pajama bottoms. Her bunny slippers completed the obvious thing the child had for bunnies. With her standing there with her head tilted to the side all sleepy looking, I wanted to squeal and pick her up, jumping up and down saying things like ' you're so adorable' and ' Oh my God!!!So cuuute!!!', but...I stopped myself and instead stepped down from my spot on the couch.

": No, Susie, I just can't fall asleep with all that brightness.:"

": But you sleep during the day and don't like the sun.:" Would she understand if I told her my real reasoning?

": Actually, I'm afraid of sleeping at night.:" Confusion entered her large round eyes as she looked down at her bunny.

": Do you want to sleep with my bunny then?:" She asked while holding it up in front of her as if to offer it to me. Staring at her I couldn't hold back a smile.

": Nah, want something to eat?:" I was already heading towards the kitchen.

": Do you have raviolis?:" Susie questioned pronouncing every syllable in the last word. It was a big word for her.

": Why?:" It made no sense to me.

": Because it's lunch time right now.:" She said, not seeming to get what I was asking.

": But you just woke up.:" I thought she'd ask for cereal or something.

": So did you.:" Did I just lose to a little girl? I think I did.

": Oh, well, okay then. I think I have a can somewhere.:" I went on a mini scavenger hunt around my kitchen in search of everything.

": And do you have milk or juice that I can drink with it?:" Thankfully, I had more than just beer in my fridge. She seemed pretty demanding in the morning.

" Susie, what are you doing in here? You know Fleur is- oh...morning, Fleur.:" He wouldn't look at me for some reason.

": Yes, unfortunately it is.:" I grumbled and Susie giggled.

": See? Just like a grumpy vampire.:" So she was still going on that huh? Oh well.

": What's she talking about, Fleur?:" Ignoring him came almost naturally as I set the microwave for about 2 and a half minutes before opening the can of raviolis for her, and dumping the contents into a bowl. Afterwards, all it took was the small slam of the door and the press of a button.

": What are doing awake at this hour?:" He questioned, noticing the closed blinds and windows.

": Well, I was trying to get some sleep but the sun wouldn't let me... and then I found this little lost kitten and had to feed her.:" Susie giggled again in time with my smirk and the beeping soon started after that.

": Do you want us to leave? You are kind of...in your underwear." Was I? I looked down to find my forest green bra with ruffled black frill covering the top half of my breast and similar green boy shorts with black ruffle frill around the hem of the thighs. Guess I was, but it wasn't like my butt was hanging out of my undies.

": I think they're really cute!!! Green's a pretty color on you, Fleur:" Susie started and I half smiled at her. Always strange and interesting, the people I befriended here. This was something that I was weirdly...nice. I liked that I had a place here and was accepted as an equal. The Task Force save for Bastien made me feel like I was a child even for my age.

Strolling over to Bastien, I smirked as I rested my chin on his shoulder.

" At least you're respectful, Bastien." I playfully cooed before chuckling and continuing on towards my room. Knowing of men, it was too easy to mess with them a little for a little fun here and there.

": I am curious, though, Fleur. Why do you walk around in your underwear?!:" He yelled all the way from the kitchen and like my nature I felt the urge to strangle him. This was a good distraction, though.

": Listen, I'm going to take a shower. Don't destroy my place and don't disturb me.:" I said from the doorway before shutting and locking my door.

' That'll keep him from going through my underwear drawer.' I mused as I stripped before stepping under the heated water. I felt like falling asleep I got so relaxed.

What I had told Susie was not a lie. I really was afraid of not being awake during the night...ever since I was 7 years old. I knew that my father had chosen that age to burn and cut those scars eternally into my back because of what the year represented to him. The number of God...while the number of the Devil was 6. He had always said that's why God would always win. Well, thanks to what he did I preferred not to believe in any religion. I wanted as little to do with my father as possible and this case would be the last thing that had anything involving him if I could just solve it in the first place.

I shook my head, and then lulled it back, making myself remember that during my showers I would let only pleasant thoughts enter my mind. It was kind of difficult, though. That was until I thought about sweets. My eyes opened and I massaged my neck with a smile as I remembered that I still had a cheesecake to finish. Life could be so simple and sweet every now and again.

After the water started growing cold, I switched it off and leaned my back against the cold wall. Day went by too slow and night went by too fast. I hardly knew what to think about sometimes.

' Might as well eat that cheesecake now.' I sighed as my stomach growled in agreement. I wrapped a towel around my frame to help me dry and walked out, letting my wet hair touch my shoulders as I walked out of the warm bathroom and into my black and white room. Lately, I felt like every time I set foot into one of these rooms it was a dimension completely different from the first. They had all given me ideas for outfits, of course. Especially the one I had chosen and was in right now. At this moment in time- it was so aberrant and idiosyncratic...but I felt like dancing. So after adorning clean underwear and the outfit that this room had inspired me to make/put together I did to whatever music was playing inside my head. It all seemed to mix together and fall apart neatly with such chaotic wonder as I actually smiled, twirled, and bent this way and that to the beat.

Suddenly, I stopped when there was a knock on my door, making me realize that I had people waiting for my return in the other room and I sat on the floor contemplating whether or not I really wanted to leave my room just yet. Not long after I sighed when I realized I had no choice but to go out there and say or do something. When I opened the door I was almost blinded by the smiling girl at my feet. If I hadn't walked out looking at the ground she wouldn't have been in my line of sight.

" I have a question." I said to Bastien as I finished properly lacing and buttoning on my oufit.

" Ask away, Darling." Bastien encouraged earning a raised eyebrow from me.

" Does L keep you two around in order to distract me from the case or so that I don't isolate myself and become obsessed with it?" My query was idle and yet I really wanted to know. Bastien shook his head along with Susie. It always made me want to hit myself when I remembered Susie understood English

" I only help when I can, which isn't too often, and L just allows us to live here on an empty floor."

" I bet you just love that." I looked over to Susie with a smile and she smiled back, her eyes sparkling at the thought.

" Yeah, the first few days I was here I was running around opening every door. " I could definitely see her doing that, her little feet moving as fast as a humming bird's wings as she sped from room to room. It was good to know that they weren't just checking in on me.

" You guys should go now, though. I really need to rest while I can since I have work in the morning." Susie frowned but hugged me before following Bastien out the door.

That man was getting too comfortable around me, I swear.

As much as I wanted to plop down and pass out on the couch I still needed to look at the window one more time to see if I could make anything from it.

I scrutinized the window that was covered in my version of a map. The dots scattering around it wouldn't make even the beginning of any shape I could think of in my mind and I was known to be quite creative.

Pouting at the window, I huffed and walked back to the living room, trying to decide whether or not I wanted to take off my outfit.

' Appletini first.' Ticked in my head and I made one, drank it down, and flopped onto the couch, placing the small glass onto a nearby desk before curling up on the couch, sinking under the blankets. Not long after I allowed sleep to take over and engulf me.

Around 9 or 9:30 L woke me up through the intercom, and I stretched and rolled to my side, forgetting that I was on a couch and ended up hitting my knee on the ground.

' Fuck, that hurt.' I winced as I slowly rose from the ground, nursing my small wound for an short time and standing, stretching my appendages. I wanted rum this morning, rum and-

": My cheesecake.:" I mumbled groggily. I had forgotten all about it, but when I looked, I didn't find it in my room and decided that Bastien or Susie had put it in the fridge so it wouldn't go bad before they left.

" Am I needed immediately?" I asked L casually as I searched my pantry for the lucid green bottle. All I wanted was a 1974, was that so much to ask.

" Yes." It was a lie, I knew. He didn't lie like a normal person. It was too easy for him to lie...I did wonder if he had possibly found anything, though. Maybe a site of the sort like the one for ' catsthatlooklikehitler' dot com ( yes it actually exists), you know the ones that have a comments for and against the things that go on there. Thank to my biases, I did have a bit of a problem with trying to picture people being for such a thing...but you never know. People could be so sick.

" Then expect me to take my time getting there."

' Eureka!' I exclaimed, slightly sticking out my tongue while I stood on my tippy toes trying to grasp the bottle and smiled like a kid finding hidden candy when I was finally able to.

" Just don't take too long." I heard him say softly.

" Of course not. I've already collected my essentials." Coming down from my high toed pose and bringing the cheesecake with me to the elevator, I dealt with the annoyingly catchy music in the box-like machine only because I didn't have anything to smash it with that wasn't worth something to me. That and I always find myself forgetting about it. This was the only reason I preferred the stairs but it was all I needed.

Feeling L's eyes on me before I saw them, I glanced at the remnants of my cheesecake, he was probably looking at that knowing him.

" Would you like another piece?" I questioned with the subtle hint that I knew where his eyes were fixated. The smirk on my face was less subtle and more...well almost flirtatious.

A look from him was all I needed and I smiled, cutting another slice for him and setting it on a bowl like dish, stabbing a fork into it and setting it down beside me on the table. I dug into the firm custard like delight and popped open the bottle, taking a swig straight from it, savoring the burning sensation as it seared its way down my throat.

" Your father's the reason why you knew so much about the knives." His statement make me pause in my actions, my lower lip brushing the top of the bottle.

" He used to tell me about each one, point them out, explain each and every part of it that made the object special and different. They were all quite beautiful... and yes, it did grow on me, as much as I hate to admit it. I guess it was because they were shiny and could be used for so many different things. Thanks to him I was actually-" I stopped mid-sentence, my eyes wide as it flashed through my head and then I remembered that I hadn't told him about it... that night.

There was a creak and I detected him watching me with his dark steady eyes. I had almost given my secret away. I mentally castigated myself for not watching what I said.

" Thanks to your father you were actually?" I shook my head.

" It's nothing important." I riposted somewhat rudely before taking another gulp of the glumly colored liquor.

" Very well." Denueve sighed, causing relief to wash over me. 

" I'm sorry but..." I didn't know how to reason this. When I looked up I caught a glimpse of him with his head angle, inclining in my direction. He was waiting for me to continue.

" Listen," I mustered, boldly starting again." I'm not good with this sort of thing. I speak my mind not my heart. I trust it more. Talking about my past and trusting people isn't something I'd consider my forte. I don't like people and I just get myself in trouble trying to converse with others. I can accept that I don't have many redeeming qualities that most people out there have...but at the same time I'm glad I've finally found a place where I belong and where things work out...I don't want to risk losing what I've got here just yet." As I spoke I had picked up both his bowl and the container that both contained cheesecake, and set the bowl down to his right as I took a seat in the extra chair after going back and bringing along my rum bottle.

" May I ask...about your mother?" This caused me to stare up at the screens, picturing my mother and the memories every mention of her brought to my mind.

" I take after her...she was killed when I was seven. The killer was found dead not far from her..."

" Where were you?" But I couldn't hear him, I was relishing the first 6 years of my life with my parents.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

I had lost her again. Her glazed over eyes were enough to prove that. As a fellow orphan I knew parents were a testy subject.

Fleur had a more fatigued appearance tonight and her lips were trembling ever so slightly as if she was about to cry. This didn't help how I already felt and saying sorry wouldn't work because she wouldn't hear me. That had already been proven.

I just wanted to see inside her head once just to see why she was always zoning out and what she was still keeping from me. I tried not to let it show but I was more impatient to know than any other...but if she started crying I'd feel like shit even more than I did at that very moment. I let her stare almost completely unblinkingly at the wall in front of her as I attempted to work quietly...it was my form of apologizing. Devouring the piece of cheesecake she gave me, I did what I did best in silence until I got an idea and reached for her bottle. Grasping the neck of the bottle I tried to remove it from her hands, but she only gripped it harder, her eyes on me now. This vice like grip of her led me to believe that she was back now and wasn't going to give up her rum.

" Why do you hate drinking so much?"

" It doesn't help my thinking process. Alcohol dries out the brain." I knew that I had already told her this before, but it didn't really matter since I knew she forgot things spasmodically.

" That's kind of funny." She smiled in a mumble. Fleur's calmness unnerved me when I thought about how she had dealt with the death of her parents and where she was. There was a nagging in my mind that told me that once again everything was connected. I decided to try changing the subject again.

" Do you think they'll ever stop?" Her eyes were scanning for something now. She picked up a pencil and paper, settling it on the desk in front of her she seized up the writing utensil and began drawing.

" This is how we think. We do something wrong on our own and can only blame ourselves no matter who else we try to pin it on." Fleur paused in her actions, a few strands of her strawberry blonde hair falling into her line of sight, obstructed her vision. After moving them out of the way and tucking the behind one of her usually invisible ears, she persevered her explanation.

" Now, this is how they think. They do have someone to blame...no...something to blame. Their mind is to blame, whatever the reason, for the things they do since they have no wall between what is real and what is not. Their minds are clouded by delusions and they have let these delusions take over, making them believe that they are chosen ones, basically like Gods messengers. They do what is unlawful...over and over again, ignoring or not knowing of the consequences of what they do simply because of what they're being told." She drew circles around what she had drawn to represent their 'minds', and stared at it.

" They are running around in a vicious circle of the same thing... expecting a different reaction from ' God', this voice they hear in their heads. They are slaves to their own minds, having lost all control. What is not socially, morally, or legally acceptable in this world has taken over their minds and is forcing them to do what they are doing. They have unknowingly crossed the line and have lost their way..." She stopped and I muttered her name to make sure she hadn't zoned out again. Fleur had her own world that she could get lost in and I didn't wish for that to happen. Did she even know that she was just making it even more likely for her to gain what her father had been possessed by.

"Stop that." I ordered and her eyes widened slightly up until she started glaring at me.

" What?" She had her confused face on again and it was rather amusing; a glare mixed with confusion on a girl who was a contradiction in her appearance already.

" Zoning out like that. It causes me to wonder if you've lost your link." Her absentminded pout was her reaction to my words.

" Lost my link? Don't worry about me, Denueve, I'm just fine. I'm just another victim of ecdemomania." She yawned and her eyes widened slightly, probably not predicting her own tiredness. Ecdemomania was a compulsive wandering of the mind.

" So, they won't ever stop?" She made a face at my casual change of subject but still shook her head.

" Not unless they are killed or found and detained." It was...a rather somber answer. I believed that this was the best time to ask her other questions and see how her memory was at the moment.

" You're rather kind to me, is there any particular reason?" She turned her trained eyes to me and blinked as though unsure about what I was inquiring.

" You mean the cheesecake? It was my way of thanking you for suggesting that I join you in this case... even if you practically begged me to get on a plane and fly here like your life depended on it... though I am somewhat glad I came here." She paused to yawn again and tinkered with an unopened Starburst.

" If I had stayed there in France...well, to be unperfectly honest, I probably would've dehumanized and dissociated from society as I knew it and become secretly obsessed with this case."

" Unperfectly?" I was quite positive that that wasn't a real word.

" Yup, I thought about it and I decided that as human beings, since we aren't perfect that anything we admit isn't perfect either." I sent a smile her way. She actually had a point.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her pop the entire Starburst into her mouth, wrapper and all. Keeping an eye on her, I noticed that about 5 minutes after doing it she took out the wrapper...folded back to its normal shape. At first I wondered if she hadn't done anything at all and then I pointed out the scent of orange fruit and the idle chewing. I was impressed to say the least, but there seemed to be something more behind it. I doubted that Fleur would be that focused without a very good reason.

" I want to show you something and tell me what you think." I could here in her voice that she was only half there. Why did she hate reality so much?

At that moment, while she was sliding her fingers over the keys, I looked up to notice she was checking her phone records from the past month.

" Olette, a somewhat friend of mine, called me a few days after I left telling me that her husband had been gone on a business trip for longer than he had mentioned to her and that normally when he did that he would call. Having already mentioned it to the police after 24 hours she doesn't trust they'll be very successful. She doesn't recall anything strange about him aside from that...but what I'm trying to get at is... she is Vox's 'type'."

" So, you believe that her husband is likely Vox? Considering the connection your father had with the case...was this friend of yours ever involved with your parents? Particularly your father?" She stared straight ahead and nodded.

" Our father's were incredibly good friends since about the same time they met our mother's. Olette and I never really got along as kids. We just did our own thing. So, you understand that this is why I never thought about it before." As much as that was an assumption, it did make sense.

" I'll look into it... did he have any other friends around that time? Relatives that were close that he singled out." Fleur pursed her lips in thought and scrunched up her brow as she tried to remember.

" This isn't something to ask me since I never really...paid attention and I was a little too young... I mean, there were others...but after I turned seven I was sent to an orphanage and moved to another part of France; Paris." Switching my focus to the screens, I was starting to patch into my database for background records, but I stopped.

" What is Olette's surname?" I suddenly questioned, looking towards her.

" Coligny." It wasn't an immediate answer. After awhile of searching, I found out about her father.

" Find anything?" She scooted closer and peered at the screens.

" Yes, it turns out that her father was institutionalized awhile before he met her mother. Around the same time within a range of about 2 months, seven other men with the same diagnosis were institutionalized there as well."

" The diagnosis is schizophrenia? For all eight of them?"

" It would seem so. I'm printing them out now." She had her own focus on the screens, brown eyes intent on the screens. Eight of them were on, showing the faces of the eight men. As I examined her reactions to each face, I saw that she either didn't recognize her own father or was better at hiding it than even me.

" Could you print out two copies?" She implored before standing to her full height of what I remembered to be 5'6'' and headed towards the door.

" Off to another shop?" I was stirring my tea idly as she walked to the door.

" Yup. Be back in a bit." 

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

It's been another two weeks and we still have nothing on where any of them live. I needed to go out and think so I grabbed a mai tai and headed towards the door. Should I tell him I'm going? He never seemed to know when I was leaving for a shop until...

" New idea?" His voice popped in rather unexpectedly and I stopped and slowly turned to his voice. Sometimes, I forgot how much he actually paid attention to.

" Yeah, I'm going gallivanting and I'm dragging Bastien and Susie along with me. Be back later." Once I closed the door behind me, I found Bastien waiting on the steps.

" So, where we off to?" He stood up and stretched his arms.

" Harajuku." A smile slowly grew on my face as the word slipped from my lips.

" You found more on the case today, huh?"

" Yeah, he was definitely at that institution with Gwenael Coligny." I murmured grudgingly.

" Thankfully, they were all scrambled up instead of in fours with the first four being the ones that are already missing or deceased."

" He could always just delve into their basic info and find out just that." Shit, he was right.

" Though, he'll still have four more men to deduce..." Bastien was also curious about my real identity since it was only natural for him to be. He was missing at least one more thing.

" But won't he only have three since Gwenael is one of the four still living?" This new realization stung as we strolled towards the train station. After reaching it, Susie helped herself to sit in my lap, catching me off guard completely. For the most part she was quiet because of the snacks she was devouring at a pace that could very well rival Denueve's.

" Can you tell me why you're always dressing in such a strange fashion?" That was rather random... now how to pick on him in order to switch back to the subject. He wasn't that hard to manipulate.

" Well, if I make something I might as well wear it right? Besides, what's wrong with the stuff I wear?" He looked taken aback and cornered. Holding back a grin wasn't doing me any good so I handed him a candy bar.

" It's a joke, Bastien." His eyes darkened, and I knew what was going to be asked next.

" So, what are you going to do when he finds out your identity?" I hope he didn't see the flash of triumph in my eyes.

" He won't."

" How are you so sure? He's the greatest detective in the world...not to over say it." My facial expression didn't change.

" Simple, I deleted all the important background information for those four from the first squad murders that would've made it the same as him noticing how to tell whether or not they're deceased anyways." I sighed contentedly. I was only worried about him questioning me...I wasn't good with lying to him like I used to be.

" Is there really something you want to hide from him that badly?" Unless killing your own father in order to stay alive and actually being able to simply because of his fondness for knives and the sort wasn't something to hide.

" Why would you think that there's something to hide? It's only natural for a detective to want to keep their real identity secret. I mean, look at Denueve...he's never once mentioned anything about his past or family. If he digs into my past then I'll dig into his."

" Wait...let me get this straight. You... want him to dig into your past?"

" Well, it may not get me much farther in the case, but...you know what? I don't know." I pursed my lips and ordered a beer.

I hated not knowing what this was about. It was entirely off topic and out of relevancy. Though it was familiar if only slightly.

" It doesn't matter." I sighed." Let's just find the materials before the last train."

" No, Fleur...do you think it's possible that you have an interest in L?" Shrugging my shoulders I didn't know which way to turn my head so it ended up being some sort of mixture between a nod and a shake.

" Don't try scouring my emotional life just because you think there something more going on. Just because there's parts of my life you don't know, doesn't mean it has anything to do with L."

" You're the one that killed your father that night, huh?" As soon as the words flew from his mouth I stopped dead in my tracks and found it hard to compose a single thought or even inhale. How had he known that or-or how was it plausible for him to guess it so naturally? I grasped hold of my senses and found that I had been holding my breath.

" Why do you say that?" I brought as much as I could into my selfish lungs.

" Where else could you have been at that age with a killer in the house not looking to kill every last member of the family. If he hadn't been killed by you than whom else could it have been?"

" I was seven." My stated words sounded believable to me...unfortunately, Bastien was harder to convince.

" He had a collection of knives. You picked up the knife he had used to kill your mother and defended yourself."

" It's not right to accuse me of doing something so heinous at such a young age." Did I just make it worse? I probably did so I turned towards him and stared hard, appreciative of the fact that few people were in this area just yet.

" Whether you know this or not, you have little to no proof of that being the case. This is not your information to give him when it comes to me and my past." I hissed menacingly and he took a step away from me but otherwise didn't react.

" Do you ever plan on telling him, Fleur?" His tone was somber and yet at the same time understanding.

" Of course I do...just not yet."

" People are dying and you're not doing anything about it, Fleur." Bastien accused darkly. Where had Susie gone?

" Just because we've found suspects doesn't mean we can lock them away without any proof. We don't even know the areas in which these people reside. We can't stop people that can't be proven guilty." I retorted.

" Then what are you doing out here? What good are you doing by being here?" Bastien had changed drastically in temperament. There was a moment of eye gauging silence before he returned to his usual self and searched around for his little sister. Where was she? She was so small that she had easily glided past my radar.

": Guys, guys! Over here! This is so cute!!! Can I get it?:" She was over by a store window on the other side of the street. I didn't doubt that our bickering had unnerved her and caused her to meander towards a more interesting and pleasing atmosphere just out of earshot. Bastien and I exchanged glances and took off after her.

At least I had gotten away with talking to him about it for now.


	8. Tacita

Tacita

Avarus animus nullo satiatur lucro

 

She was always leaving after finding out more information and I wasn't positive that it was always because she had a design for an outfit set in her mind. Was something pertaining to the case bothering her? When it came to her personal life I would've preferred to stay out of it. She had, after all, told me that she would explain things to me if it was something that would help with the case. When I thought about it, it just made sense that she was involved, especially when I considered her reaction to anything that gave way to both of us realizing how close the toughest part of the case really was. How would she deal with the cannibalism again? This is something that made me curious. How was it that she remembered the tenth week so well and yet couldn't even remember the face of her own father? It didn't matter how long ago it was. Even after ten years, a person should be able to remember the faces of his or her parents.

My cell rang and I cast a look over to it, warily. I picked it up and noticed it was exactly who I thought it was. Who else goes and takes a train to Harajuku at this time of night and uses her alias for things including her phone ID?

" Hello, Fleur."

" You already know I'm lost, don't you?" Her voice was somewhat crossed and swirled with a hint of expectancy and a pinch of worry.

" It wouldn't be the first time." I sighed, picturing her pouty glare that she was more than likely giving me over the phone. Loudly slurping my coffee, I waited for her reply. There was a silence on the line and then I heard her sigh.

" C...could you come pick me up?" The tone of her voice had changed, surprising me. This one was actually kind of...needy.

" I'll be right there." I hung up, and rose to my feet.

" Watari." Just one call and he appeared. I really wondered what I would ever do without the guy sometimes.

" This isn't like you, L. Going out of your way like this for another."

" I know that I'd usually just send you to get her, but this time she asked for me to come too." We needed to get to her before someone else did. With the careless way she dressed and her straightforward nature, she was bound to cause trouble if any guy waltzed by and hit on her. She had people with her right? They had probably left by now since she'd say something to send them on their way though. She was bored of there by now, I was sure. I made sure to get a bag of sweets before going.

As I sat there, in my usual way, I pondered several things, all of which involved and seemed to circulate around the strawberry blonde haired girl with contradictive eyes. The things about her that she wanted to hide from me. It wasn't that I was expecting her to just tell me everything about her private life, but I knew that there was something important she was desperate to keep from me.

It didn't take us as long to get there as I had thought before. There was, of course, still my ponderings that could've been the culprit responsible for why the distance and time seemed to fly by as though it was only five minutes away instead of nearly half an hour. She was sitting on a bench, with several bags and a trademark beer in her hand. When she looked up from her stare that was held on the ground, her eyes gave the look of a lost puppy. She got up and grabbed her bags, taking her time as she made her way to the car. She had a slight waver in her step. Was she drunk?

Fleur nearly collapsed when she got situated in the car, which answered my question in a way I didn't like all that much.

" What happened to Bastien and Susie?" She lulled her head to the side so she was meeting my questioning gaze with her glazed one and it was even more obvious. How many had she had?

" I told them to get a cab and go home since Susie is so young and needed to get some sleep." She was one to talk and it was rather early for her to be getting drunk so fast. It was only about two in the morning.

" Why'd you wait so long to call?" I stared at her, trying to think about why she would just let herself go so badly tonight.

" I wouldn't be able to tell you about what's really about to come up at the end of the week if I wasn't like this." She sighed, and leaned against the closed door.

" What was it you wanted to tell me then, Fleur?" I understood that I should be lecturing her about getting drunk for such a reason...but there was a string pulling in the back of my mind telling me that I needed to listen to what she had to say first and that it wasn't going to do anything if I told her. I knew how she was.

" Remember how I told you that my father had killed my mother? He was Aleron, The Eagle. That night was my seventh birthday...I heard her scream and walked in...I was still in pain from the cuts and burns, but I was hit with shock when I saw why. He was feeding on her insides like he was an animal. When he saw me, the marks of 'protection' he gave me didn't matter and he went insane...just snapped. He ran towards me and I killed him with his own knife since he taught me how to use them. I killed my own father. What does doing something like that make me?" Fleur didn't cry but she looked so depressed that I was almost afraid of not treating her any differently than usual.

" A human being, perhaps? You were defending yourself after all and you were only a child. How were you supposed to know any better?" I offered her a cookie. The last one to be exact and she looked up at me with shaky, unstable, doe eyes and all I could really do was stare back. I had just figured that using her logic on her at a time like this was the best thing to do. She wasn't completely gone when she got drunk. The response I got was her switching seats and settling in the one beside me. I wasn't predicting that she would do that since she had never really been one for getting close to people.

" No matter how much sense what I did makes to you...if you tell anyone, I'll eat all you strawberries." Her threat made me pout and look off to the opposite side.

" You already know how to blackmail me." I muttered absently.

" Of course I do. It's not like I've only known you for ten weeks, you know." She pointed out softly.

" Well then, since we got that out of the way. Can you tell me why you waited so long after the last train to call me?"

" I wanted to get drunk while I tried to make up my mind about whether or not I should call you." She closed her eyes and slumped against me, signaling that she had passed out.

I'd question her about the deletion of a certain four backgrounds later on.

We got there soon after our conversation and Watari opened my door for me so I could get out and pick up Fleur. She was almost frighteningly light sometimes. With the scars on her back I felt it necessary to be punctilious. It didn't seem to matter whether or not they were recent (even though they obviously weren't). Maybe it was because of her attenuate frame covered by a style of clothing that I considered atypical...but I knew what kind of girl she was. The ocean blue Gothic satin with a black crushed velvet floral patterned strapless over-bust corset had about a dozen clasps up the front, a ruffled satin upper trimming, and black lace-up on the back that was tied in a double knotted bow at the middle of her back. Underneath was a transparent black long sleeved blouse with double button cuffs and a collar she had left unbuttoned for comfort. The matching skirt had fabric that hitched at the left and asymmetrically draped down to the hem that was at mid calf. It was equally trimmed and the top layer had the same crushed velvet floral design. The trim at the edges of both had the same satin ruffle trim as the corset. Her deceivingly delicate hands donned blue corset gloves that had transparent black fingers and black satin ruffle trim that matched and completed her unique look.

 

I first laid her over the covers and removed her Mary Jane's with platforms. I knew that it was thanks to her and Misa that I knew so much about what Fleur was wearing in the first place. When I looked at her hands, I figured she'd want to keep her gloves in good shape and so one by one I loosened the smooth laces and slipped them from their place, setting them on her bedside table.

Nearly jumping out of my skin when I felt her grip on my wrist, I turned to her sleeping face... soft and pale like a doll's sometimes. I sighed and sat there not being able to move away even if I wanted to. Now that I looked at her...she seemed the most child like when she was sleeping. Awake it was hard to guess her age but as she slept...she looked way younger than seventeen. She appeared fifteen at the oldest and twelve at the youngest.

" Fleur-" I started but stopped. It wasn't like we had any progress on the case and if I can get some sleep I might as well take advantage of it.

I'd worry about more details involving the case later.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

I didn't want to wake up but I didn't want to deal with another nightmare from my hellish past either. The more I told myself not to open my eyes the more I wanted to...that was until I actually peeked my eyes open a sliver and shut them again tightly. Why was it still so bright out and what time was it? I moaned and rolled over to the other side, snuggling into the warm body there.

My eyes flashed open and I reeled back, almost sliding over the side, but a hand grasped mine and pulled me back onto the bed.

" I didn't mean to fall asleep or startle you when you finally did, Fleur. Last night you wouldn't let go of my wrist. You've got a vice like grip when you sleep." Spinning around on the bed to stare at him with wide eyes, I didn't know what to think.

" Did we do what I think we did?" He stared back blankly before sliding off the sheet covered mattress to stand on the other side of the bed. Denueve stared at the ceiling as he perched himself in a chair.

" Let's see. I carried you out of the car and into your room and placed you in your bed, took off your shoes and gloves...and was getting ready to leave when you prevented me from leaving with your wrought iron grip on my wrist. If that's what you think happened then you are right and if not... well, I think I made my point." He stood up and walked towards the door.

" I don't take advantage of sleeping drunk girls, Fleur." I shot so high out of my skin I thought my head would break through the roof. So he did know what I was talking about.

" I wasn't implying that you would...it's just that it's something a person tends to assume after knowing they got drunk and woke up next to someone of the opposite sex."

" Has it happened before?" He questioned not seeming offended at all by my words. I shook my head as I followed him out of my room, pausing when I realized that I still didn't know what time it was and still light out. It was then that I put two and two together with why I had grabbed L's arm in the first place.

" No, I'm sorry for doing that and insinuating..."

" You don't have to apologize. It didn't cause any problems. Are you going to work with everyone else today?" I was no longer keeping pace beside him.

" What time is it?"

" One in the afternoon. You fell asleep earlier than usual. Around three in the morning to be exact."

"So, you know then? I told you about it?" I felt helpless and still tired.

" Yes, you did and it didn't bother me in the slightest or change my view of you in any way." He softly stated.

" I suggest you join us. You might be able to either learn something more about the case or tell them something you know about it. Do you think you could stand being around others right now?" He was trying to convince me to be around more people while teasing me at the same time.

" Denueve... I think I'll stay behind and work with you guys from my room." My hands were shaking as I thought about the time. I took deep breaths as I decided that I would just stay up longer until 7 in the morning.

" Are you alright?" Thoughts of him coming back and killing me in my sleep as I slept at night made me shake even more. I was lucky to be alive. Trying to shake it off, I smiled at L.

" I'm fine. Just need to eat and get something to drink. I'll be up until 7 A.M. so if you need anything..."

" Are you cold?" He stepped closer to me and I moved my head from side to side frantically.

" You fall asleep at night and they'll find you and kill you!!! You were born to die sometime after me! You hear me, child?! They will find you before you can do anything to stop them. They are searching for you in the end!!! You are the ultimate sacrifice!!!"

Air...I needed air. Why wasn't I getting enough oxygen into my lungs? What was going on? I can't see and all I can hear is the sound of my own shallow breathing. It felt like I was a bug trapped inside a glass jar without holes in the lid.

" Fleur! Fleur!!! Look at me!!!Say something!!!Watari, Fleur's having a panic attack!!"

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Fleur had started to hyperventilate and shake violently. Her legs gave out and I sat there with her face in my hands as I yelled for her to look at me and say something...anything. I didn't know what to do.

" Don't yell at her, L." Watari advised cautiously as he walked over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as her crouched down beside her.

" Then what am I supposed to do?" I asked as I looked at him with begging eyes, desperate for her to stop her rapid inhalations. Tears were escaping from her face, sliding down her cheeks until they reached her chin.

" Please...don't-let-them-find-me..." Fleur said between breaths."H-he-said...they'll kill me!...No sleeping at night!! They'll find me if I fall asleep at night!" She started to scream, grasping onto my shirt and burying her face in it. What was she talking about? Did her father really say those things to her? Or was it someone else? Is that why she wouldn't let me leave her last night while it was still dark? Some hidden irrational fear her father had planted into her subconscious to keep her from sleeping at night? I had just thought it was a bad habit she had grown into.

" Fleur, please calm down. You're safe here. Don't let the delusions your father made up get to you. If you fear things like this just because of what he said then how are you supposed to help us solve this case?" I had wrapped my arms around her head, resting my chin on her head.

" Just relax, okay. He's not here anymore. No one can reach you here without our knowing." Her fists clenched into my shirt and I felt her struggle to control her breathing.

" Safe..." She mumbled. Fleur seemed to have regressed into an even more child like state than before. Her breathing had stabilized and she had pulled away from me slightly. He eyes were red and I saw them starting to get puffy before I collected a few tissues from the box Watari had left for me and wiped her face.

" Something tells me you won't be going out alone for awhile."

" But I wasn't alone! Bastien and Susie-"

" They left you alone, Fleur." I wanted to raise my voice but I stopped myself. Not wanting to risk scaring her into the start of another panic attack. Reasoning calmly seemed like the best thing to try.

" Yeah, I told him that he didn't need to go with me anymore so that Susie didn't have to stay up late. I worry about whether or not she gets enough hours for her young age." She sighed with a slight enigmatic grin.

" You were selfless for a child and told them to go home...only to make yourself suffer. Tell, me what sense does this make to you?"

" I'm not making a child stay with me in the middle of the night just so she can make me feel less scared of something so irrational." Fleur needed to stop making sense.

" Also," She added." I don't want to a little girl see me freak out like a victim of Freddy Krueger. I know she wouldn't like it one bit." If I didn't know who Freddy Krueger was I would think she was crazy.

" I just...I just can't be around people like them right now." I knit my brow together.

" People like them?"

" Analyzing, authority type people...adults that act like adults."

" Oh, so that's why you can stand me." I muttered thoughtfully.

" What are you talking about? Stand you? I actually like you, you know. You don't judge me and you actually understand what I'm talking about." She smiled brightly, and my eyebrows went from knitted to raised with wide eyes.

" Is that so?" Fleur nodded convincingly.

" I'll be working on the case. Call me when they leave." She bellowed behind her before escaping into her room, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell happened. She went from a mess to... a happy-go-lucky puppy.

' Always such a strange girl. Can't say I'd expect any less from her though.' I strolled towards the main floor. Fleur, whether she was here in the same country or back in France, it didn't really matter...she was close yet distant. Willing to help but never really able to accept help herself and she's almost always in the neutral ground unless it talks about this case and how it has to be solved and how these people have to be caught. I doubted that Fleur even cared if they were sent and locked up in an asylum as long as what they were doing stopped.

To add to the list of the things I didn't understand about her, I hadn't really unraveled the kinks of why she didn't seem to agree with the presence of the Task Force. Had more happened to her than she was telling me (which I hoped was not the case since she has already been through a long enough bought of misery and betrayal. Or... maybe it was just that she still subconsciously feels that what she did to her father to save her own life at such a young age was wrong. Like a sin that no God could forgive her for.

She didn't even believe in God.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

Opening my laptop and situating it in a way so that I could see the screen, I waited for everything to load... which didn't take long at all. The rest was just a typing of my twenty-one letter password and a press of the 'enter' key and I was set. Now all I had to do was bring up the necessary windows and I'd be able to hear what Denueve and the Task Force was talking about. L probably wasn't even on the main floor yet so I looked around my living room.

There was nothing left in the room to destroy. Everything here had a use of some sort. Then again, I didn't have much left in my room anymore thanks to the venting I had done here in the first days I had been here alone.

I was missing something and I later remembered that I had a certain beverage in the fridge that I almost always have with me and/or around me.

" Fleur has informed me of a few things considering the case."

" Where is Fleur? Is she ever going to show up?" I remembered that to be Aizawa's voice. He seemed more relaxed today than usual for him.

" No, because L wants to keep her all to himself, which I still think is unfair."

" Actually, if my calculations are correct...Fleur is already in the room. In a way, of course. She can hear us... though I am unsure if she can see us." I brought up the cam view and saw Matsuda looking around in a fit of paranoia in a more obvious way than the others.

" You allowed her to put up cameras in this room?" Yagami asked, and I shrugged from here before remembering that they couldn't see me.

" I never said anything to her permitting or denying her the ability to do so. It is up to her. She can be trusted. I have been working with her for longer than you may think." L mumbled as he started talking about the screens.

" All eight of the men you see here were at the same institution by the name of Charenton in Val-de-Marne, France."

" Four of them are already dead and it says so on their records." I added, making everyone but L look around the room with frantic surprised faces. There was a pause that covered the entire room, which made me crack a smirk.

" S-she can speak English?" Was the first thing that came from Matsuda's lips.

" Of course I can speak English. I can also speak Latin and German. I just usually act like I can't speak English around you guys because it makes me feel uncomfortable to be in the same room with so many people that I don't know. No offense." This was a failed attempt at being polite and honest at the same time. I had warned L that I wasn't very good with people and hopefully now he knew I wasn't lying. I noticed that L responded to the mild uproar well as he seemed to just be sitting there watching them while eating as though he was having dinner and a movie. Denying him that it was worthy of being such was hard for me to do so I didn't comment on it at all.

" Fleur, are you able to see us?" Came his calm question.

" Yes I can." I nodded and took a few sips from my drink. It was nice and cold. Setting it down I felt like I had been somehow chosen to be the one to break the ice.

" So, what can you guys think up from there?" They were probably already thinking up what to say and Yagami beat them all to it.

" Make posters and put them around everyw-"

" You can't do that." I rudely cut in. They all listened eagerly.

" If they see you as a witness to what they've done or they know you know who they are and what you look like they will not hesitate to kill you anyway they see convenient." This information may have just made this case a whole level more difficult, but at least I warned them.

" They are willing to risk dying for this?" Aizawa questioned.

" It doesn't matter to them either way. They either die and go to Heaven because of their 'immunity' or they keep killing until all the people that fall under their category are dead or find better ways to hide."

" What if we do it on Saturday at 6?" Mogi suggested." Won't they be too preoccupied to watch the news at that time? I doubt they watch it or listen to it while they murder people. These murders are committed in a warehouse or some other abandoned place with no electricity." My eyes widened and I drank more of my beverage, thinking about it as I watched L's eyes scan the room, probably searching for either the cameras or the intercoms placement by ear. The thing was the room was huge and people hardly ever heard where something was coming from exactly when the sound waves were bouncing to and fro from one wall to another. Also there were cameras at every corner and midpoint of the room and they were put together so that I could see everything. My eyes missed nothing as I saw L spot one, but move on to another as though they were cameras themselves, moving back and forth so not to miss anything that was going on in here. I knew that he didn't have the camera in my room on one of the screens because he was looking at the main one where the eight faces plus basic information were.

" I can't see anything screwing that up." I admitted openly and Denueve nodded his head slowly.

" It would have to be once for a few minutes every Saturday at 6 for the next few weeks. That way enough people would have the chance to know what they looked like. If they notice that the people they are looking for have stopped..."

" I don't know what they would do then, Denueve so don't ask me." This wasn't something I knew much if anything about anymore. I only knew their behavior to a certain extent and this also went with their levels of intelligence.

" But I can and will tell you that if people under certain descriptions go into hiding...they may just target whatever best resembles a ' pure' person around them. Not as bad as Kira but close. Kira wasn't this insane and didn't have as many accomplices."

" So...more people are still going to have to die then?" The young detective asked sullenly, and sighed.

" I'm afraid so. The worst part is that this is still just the beginning." L mumbled to himself more than Matsuda.

Three weeks later

I refused to come out of my room. L would have to leave his station at his desk to come up and see me that whole three weeks if he wanted or needed to because I didn't want to see the victims. I already knew how they would look... the thing was I didn't want to have another panic attack. Denueve agreed and said that I wouldn't have to for now saying that I would only have to if he felt something was missing and desperately needed another's opinion on it. Though I don't think he knew exactly how glad I was that I didn't have to see the bodies or really even talk to him about them. The scars of ten years ago still ran deep and could be easily opened with the slightest reminder of what I did wrong. The nightmares I got were starting to visit me more often and become increasingly and steadily more real. I would wake up crying sometimes and either blame myself for not knowing what to do in that sort of situation, that I didn't get there early enough to stop him from killing her, or berating myself for going out into the room in the first place instead of ignoring my mother's cries and stay hidden in bed. That last one always made me feel the worst out of all of them because this was my mother I was conversing with myself about and other than myself I only ever told Susie when she hung out with me alone. She would sit there and listen until the end and then offer her bunny to me as her way of apologizing for not being there for me when I needed her and saying that I should get some sleep because every day was getting us closer to catching the guys that were committing this not-so-sane crime. I knew she wouldn't use this information against me since she was a little kid and I had made her pinky promise me that she wouldn't tell anyone else about it.

There was a knock on my door as I contemplated my troubles as they sifted through my brain at a constant and insistent pace. Then I wanted to know if I really wanted to open that door.

" Fleur, please open the door." That soft persuasive voice reached my ears and I felt myself walking towards it almost as if my will was being manipulated.

" How are you holding up?" He asked as soon as the door was opened a sliver; enough for me to look out. I was honestly scared of why he was there at that moment but I let him in anyways.

" You mean the case or the lack of sleep?"

" The latter."

" Oh, well... I haven't passed out yet from fatigue." I smiled wryly, making him blink at me.

" Do you need anything?" I noticed L was being awfully considerate right now.

" You want to tell me something? Cause I know that you aren't going to pull a banquet of sweets out of your ass so don't try stalling or sugarcoating whatever you're about to say. I don't eat things just because they're sugarcoated." My suspicions were proven correct.

" I need you to look at something and tell me what you think of it." Denueve finally confessed as he meticulously held up an envelope filled with what I knew to be my tormentor hidden inside. Pursing my lips, I snagged it from his hands and tossed it onto the table. There was no way I was dealing with that just yet.

" You want anything? Juice, beer, milk, water, coffee, tea?" I had gotten a new coffee machine a few weeks ago after promising L that I wouldn't destroy it.

He seemed to understand why I waited as long as I did to look at the envelope and said he wouldn't mind a coffee, which I deeply appreciated. I made sure to put enough sweet creamer in it and fifteen cubes of sugar as a way of thanking him. After awhile and a sip or two of his coffee he began to speak.

" I know that you don't want to look at it for your personal reasons but I need you to see it." I set my own drink down and sighed, throwing a look at it before standing.

" First I need to show you something. Follow me." I walked towards my room.

" I've been looking at this every week, Fleur, I don't see what-" His paused told me he was watching me as I took the drawing utensil and started drawing lines that connected some of the dots and showed where others were soon to be. After a few minutes the window showed the picture that was on my back.

" That's what's in that envelope, huh? Aside from missing body parts and/or organs, right? They advanced early, didn't they?" I was sure of it when he stared at the picture as if to say these people killing 'innocent ones' were reading his mind.

" They ate half of their hearts, the emotional part of their brain, and their liver." He explained and I held in a cringe. I was good with just about everything when it came to this case...except the cannibalism. It reminded me all too much of what my father did to my mother.

" I still think you should look at the pictures in there, Fleur. You won't like it but its best that you be informed of something particular about this case." I turned to him with my eyes as large as they could be and made them unsteady as though I was about to cry (not that I was very far from it). L and I locked eyes and after a staring contest that lasted 5 minutes (*cough*ten seconds*cough*) I gave in and stalked towards the lucid looking manila envelope. In a few quick movements I had ripped of the top, poured out its contents, and was now staring at the girl that had informed me of her husband's disappearance weeks ago. This wasn't right...wasn't she in France?

" Our best guess is that he told her he was here before she left and she ended up being his next victim." This case was advancing much faster than the last then. This woman wasn't Olette...no, she was some other woman who was a victim. This looked nothing like her because Olette didn't look like this. It was Olette...but it wasn't Olette. Olette was incomplete and didn't have a scar on her back that was twin to my own. These weren't even recent ones either.

" The cuts are deeper than the ones he gave me." I mumbled and L just looked at me.

" What was that?"

" I said these cuts in her back are deeper than the ones my father gave me." My voice was louder this time and showed hurt, which I mentally scolded myself for. L's eyes were monotonous but observing and I had a feeling he felt bad...just ever so slightly.

" Yes, that would be her cause of death. She came down here with it already on her back and bleeding...one of them found her- Vox, likely than not...and he carved this." He lifted up a picture I hadn't glanced at yet and when I saw it I could feel my face grow pale. The picture showed her left arm that had sharply angled cuts that read ' I'm sorry, Angel, you were a false vessel' cut deep to the bone.

" Where was she found?" This was my first question after he said that. When they had nothing to do with the case some killers with what Vox and the others had wouldn't be as cautious as with their other victims. Patches of flesh around the carving were missing and it showed the remains of the organs that were eaten from. He carelessly killed his own wife and ate parts of her organs only to leave her in some gutter while he takes such care of his other victims. I couldn't even begin to comprehend how much sense this didn't make.

" Why would that..." He thought about it for awhile before something clicked in his head and he nodded." I see what you mean. I'll take those." After his words, I felt him remove the photos from my hand and move back towards his coffee located on the table.

" Where?" I repeated and he looked up at me after picking up his mug of sweet caffeinated liquid and walked towards my room. So, I followed... hoping that he'd be able to answer and wasn't just going to stand there trying to remember. When I entered my room, he was making a dot right by the one where the first murder was committed.

" Denueve...I think I know where the others are hiding."


	9. Ursa

Ursa

Magna res est vocis et silentii temperamentum

 

" There's a chance that I'm wrong, naturally. These four are rather predictable even though they are very intelligent. Their minds are almost OCD, but this is about the time where parts of their mind deteriorate, making it so that certain things that would be normal about them end up faltering and they would seem to become...sloppy." I explained, feeling the detective's eyes on me as he listened to my words.

" What I mean is that they'll end up becoming less and less hygienic. Do things like forget to take care of themselves almost completely and if they are usually very tidy...well, then the effects of the schizophrenia would end up making them unorganized and messy. They usually end up looking like a bum that's been wearing the same clothes for too long. Basically, like a child that never learned how to take care of themselves in the first place as though all of those memories have been erased. I had seen a patient like that once... she was being treated for it as you can't just cure someone with such a mental illness. She ended up dying, having killed herself to rid herself of all the voices in her head. They find whatever is most convenient and use it like these people do... like my father did." I almost saw his question before he asked it.

" How difficult is it for you to speak of your father?" I almost smiled at his nonchalant inquiry.

" Not as hard as it is to think of him. I sometimes mention him without even thinking about it."

" Do you hate him?"

" I'm not sure, Denueve. I've never been one to ask when it comes to emotion descriptions." Stopping, I remembered something.

" Are the others gone?" I questioned while my eyes lulled in his direction. He still hadn't moved from his spot at the table.

" Yes, they left quite a bit ago. You were right about them not being able to deal with the case so I allowed them to take some time off."

" Oh...well, I'm going to take a quick shower so I'll be back in a bit." You know those habits some people have where they'll do something without even thinking or knowing it? I did something like that...stripping on my way to my room.

" Fleur, could you not do that." His voice echoed in the room and I paused and turned to him slightly.

" Do what?" He sighed heavily.

" Can you at least wait until you in your room before you start removing your clothes?"

" This floor belongs to me, you said so yourself, so if you don't like me doing as I please in my home, on my floor...then you can leave." This simple statement was simpler than I thought it would be. Though I'm sure it didn't seem all that meaningful since I was dressed in my undergarments and skirt.

" I suppose I could deal with it, but it's not very ladylike." When I heard him say this, I couldn't help laughing.

" When have you known me to be ladylike?" With that I closed the door behind me. Once it was closed I freely stripped off the remainder of my attire. It wasn't like me to almost forget to take a shower...I loved showers and their cleansing affect. I took a deep breath and shook my head deciding that it was just the case getting to me and that I should just relax.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

How could anyone walk around while disrobing so casually and possibly without even being aware of their doing it? The obvious answer to that was that it was Fleur doing it. Anything she did always seemed natural and purposeful like it was what everyone does even when it wasn't natural and hardly anyone else in the world did it... that I knew of at least.

There was enough going on with this case as it was. I did not need to be distracted by images of a teenage girl strutting here and there in her underwear or even less. Therefore, I had to keep reminding myself that she was still a teenager.

When I heard the water in her bathroom stop, I looked to the door expectantly and awhile later there she was with her damp hair, a pair of sweat pants, and a lime green cami while she tussled her multicolored hair with the snowy white towel.

It was only to be predicted that she'd change her way of dress as soon as I started getting used to the one she had before. It was part of the reason why it was hard for me to concentrate on the case. Well, it was more on the lines of she was part of the reason why it was hard for me to concentrate on the case. Maybe it was because of the cami because they didn't leave much to the imagination when it came to her upper torso while the sweatpants were the exact opposite. I didn't need hormones bothering me when I needed to focus on the matters at hand.

" All I'm saying is check the corners of this picture they're making on the map of Tokyo and chances are...you'll find them." She informed simply, and I silently agreed with her idea. She knew this side of the case best and knew people better than I did...even if she didn't like them much herself.

" Are you okay, Denueve? Your mind seems a little more zoning than usual. It's like my ecdemomaniac type brain is rubbing off on you." Fleur chuckled and I sighed.

" No, I assure you, Fleur, I'm quite alright. I'll go inform the Task Force of this." I muttered as I left the room. There was mild doubt in my mind that this would be the end of the case. Hearing her footsteps I paused and waited outside of her room.

" Oh, and if they don't all live at the four corners of their self made ' art work', you might want them to check the areas involving their first victims. As a precaution they'll probably move around a lot and have little to no luggage with them. Tell them to be careful... I don't want any of them to die because of something I said." She was speaking of the picture when she used the false term 'art work' and I could tell that she'd hate to feel responsible for someone dying...again.

" You have nothing to worry about. The Task Force members know how to be careful and if there's the off chance one of them doesn't make it back then it is not your fault. You need to learn how to forgive yourself, Fleur...maybe then you won't be blaming yourself every time a person dies."

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Words don't usually impact me too much but these ones almost made me cry because now that I thought about it...he was right. After the death of both of my parents I blamed myself and now here I was on this case ten years later, punishing myself for no reason. I wasn't telling these people to kill anyone. In truth I just couldn't stop them from doing so. After I killed my father I hated myself and refused to get close to anyone out of fear. It became such a thorn in my side.

I hated people because I feared them but I feared them only because I didn't want to get close to them when I knew that they were going to die one day anyways. People like me never saw the point in that and couldn't because to us...it was completely and utterly pointless. In the end it was all because I had grown up with no one being all that close to me and that made it so that I didn't know what it was like to enjoy someone's company or need someone. I had never needed anyone in my life. At least not since my parents died. I was too afraid of needing someone because I knew that they were human and would one day let me down. Being human was a fault on itself but was at the same time a wonderful thing. Humans to me, are and have always been the most interesting and intriguing creatures in the world because of the different ways they think and do things.

I frowned and decided to stop my mental cycle. I didn't have time to be going off course and pressing matters that were irrelevant to the case. I needed to go downstairs and see if they had really caught them or at least Vox. There was a churning in my stomach that disintegrated any butterflies that may have been floating aimlessly around when I thought about interrogating one of them. That thought alone was enough for me to rush towards the stairs after L.

Five minutes later...

You know when you're so focused on a single thought that you lose all awareness of what's going on around you? Well, no matter how you answer that question I still ended up in a bit of a mess.

Rushing down the stairs while I was only half paying attention had caused me to bump into Denueve, who had just stepped onto the ground of his own floor. Balance not being my best friend, openly gave me the one finger salute when I needed it there most and left me entirely. This little half second bicker with my sense of knowing where my legs were got me curled up oddly. I say oddly because I landed unevenly as though I had horizontally rolled down the stairs. My upper body had been cushioned by a certain dark haired detective. I was in a sort of... fetal position... almost. In fact, if I someone happened to step into the room it would've looked like I had fallen asleep on him.

Eyes closed tightly as though still waiting for the pain to hit, head now resting on his chest under my left arm while my right grasped his shirt reflexively, and my knees were almost tucked under his form. I really needed to stop zoning out like that.

" Fleur... are you injured?" His voice sounded fine and I think he was unscathed for the most part so I didn't do anything too bad, right?

" No, not a scratch...just a little sore. Thanks for being my makeshift pillow." I chuckled as I tried to push myself up, feeling my arms complain as I did so. Sitting up beside him took more energy than it was supposed to.

" You're welcome." Was his delayed response and it sounded uncertain as if he wasn't sure I had meant it.

" Why were you running?" He was situated in front of me on the floor, peering at me curiously with his lucid wide eyes. When I realized my excuse, I faltered and sighed.

" I wanted to see if they would actually catch one of them...and I kind of got excited when I thought about digging into one of their minds to examine the inner workings behind their intentions and actions." L's slight smile shocked me when I looked back at him. He had even chuckled a bit. Who wouldn't be confused to see someone smiling and laughing after they just made them topple over into a semi-awkward heap?

" Being typically blunt and impulsive as usual. I guess you really are okay." Denueve teased as he stood up, offering his hand to me to help me to my feet. Deciding that I might as well allow him to aid me after my klutzy moment, we made our way towards the computers.

" You keep track of them here, correct?" I inquired, taking a seat before he did as he switched the monitors, and turned on the intercoms connected to the Task Force members on a single channel in order to keep from having to constantly switch back and forth, which would cause us to miss something.

" Yes, would you like to keep track of progress as well?" In his hand was an extra headset that I accepted almost too happily.

" Before I turn on the sound... I have a question for you." Blinking, I nodded, urging him to just ask it.

" After this case- if it does end here... are you going to return to Marseille?" This was something I had to think about.

" I'll tell you later but I promise I'll answer your question. Is that enough for now?"

" I suppose." Then the chase commenced.

 

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

The young woman next to me practically radiated anticipation as they loomed over the first house. I had decided that they should all take on one of them at a time, starting with the 'fourth' as Fleur had called him and labeled him on his file before we knew his alias. Said girl was sitting at my side, sipping a strawberry daiquiri.

" As his character shows...it is likely that he is the least troublesome when it comes to attacking men and being paranoid...Severino is who you have to worry about the most." She construed as she leaned back in her seat with her foot under the edge of the table, keeping her from gravity's pull. Fleur rocked back and forth as if in a rocking chair and she appeared to be spacing out again, using the monitors as her zone out target.

I didn't reply, knowing that she couldn't really hear me right now. The familiar ringing in my ears made me think about retreating to the roof for a bit but I stayed put. There was a feeling I had that told me Fleur was here to not only witness the arrest of Vox and the others, but also because she didn't want either of us to be alone. This feeling made me believe that Fleur might not leave afterwards...that she might actually stay and assist me with more cases in the future after this case had ceased. Though there was something wrong and it was something that I lacked the ability to place at the moment.

" Did they catch on?" She muttered a loud as they hurried to the door with a SWAT team silently. So, she was paying attention while thinking...or maybe her attention just switched when she saw movement on the screen.

" Do you think they'll catch him?"

" If he's there, yes." Fleur's voiced reply made her sound as though she had been sensing my curiosity." One can never say, although there is that saying 'Never bring a knife to a gun fight'." Her eyes acknowledged me.

" They don't use guns, you know. They're just like father. Sharp or fire related weapons only." She was right too. As they got closer to his room, they found him asleep. This shocked me slightly even though it made sense that he would be fine sleeping without a guilty conscious. He believed what he was doing was right...God's will even.

Someone clacked cuffs on the man before he had a moment to protest or even wake up completely, making Fleur pause and stare at the scene before her. Before we knew it almost the exact same things happened to the others as they were unable to inform the others at all. One by one they were taken to be restrained and kept in separate cells until each and every single one of them was apprehended.

Severino was all that was left. He had actually been awake, checking the windows almost every couple of minutes. It was a surprise to me that he even got any sleep with how paranoid he was. Openly violent and quick to use anything he had with him, he ended up killing at least 4 of the SWAT members and injuring several more... all with a single knife in his dominant hand. They had to shoot him a few times before he succumbed to the ground and was arrested like the others. My eyes would stray from the screen every now and then to see Fleur still watching, but with her emotions laid out. She was frozen in her spot with what was something like horror, disgust, shock, or a mixture of all three. I feared her having another panic attack after what I saw before.

" Fleur? Maybe you shouldn't continue to watch this. You aren't reacting in any positive way to watching this spectacle." I reached over and pressed a button, making the screen in front of us turn pitch black. The only noise in the room now was the slurping of her drink, which desisted as soon as she heard it herself.

" You wanted to interrogate them, didn't you? Would you like to do that now or...?" I listened, waiting patiently for her answer.

" Not now, I'll give them a week. In the end when dealing with a trial they'll all just end up pleading insanity. I told you I wanted answers, though, and I'll get them then. If it's not too much to ask...could you accompany me when I do?" I could feel my eyes soften as I stood from my seat.

" I wouldn't mind at all." I replied and she beamed at me, catching me off guard.

" Thank you so much. This will be so much easier for me then." Fleur wrapped her arms around me, giving me a hug. Then she let go and stepped back.

" Also... to answer your question from before about me going back to Marseille. I have nothing to go back to so what's the point. I'd rather be somewhere where my skills are more useful."

Those words weren't supposed to make me as happy as they did.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

L was staring at me almost unblinkingly after I said that. Had I said something wrong or just confused him?

" What?" He turned away from me and towards the screens.

" I'm going to the roof... would you like to join me?" I got suspicious.

" You aren't going to jump, are you?" He gave me an almost annoyed looked, making me smile.

" Okay then. Let's go." We took the elevator this time and when we got to the tippity-top of it, the doors opened and showed the dark grey sky glowering down at us.

" Is something wrong, Denueve?" He was standing there, looking off into space, oddly reminding me of myself... although I talk while zoning out sometimes.

" No, but the bells have been ringing incessantly today. They do this every now and then." Bells? Had he been reading from Edgar Allen Poe (I don't own Poe) or was it something more sane?

" Have I ever told you about a place called Wammy's?" My eyes flashed open at the memory. That's right, the orphanage.

" Were there bells there?" I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me.

" Yes, and they were always so loud whenever they rang." He mumbled almost as though he was talking to himself, I took a seat next to him. Was that why he had been staring at me? Or rather through me? Because of the bells he heard out here somewhere. It must have been a deep set memory if his hearing is this good when it came to his childhood.

" What was it like?" When I finally got the chance to find out something about L I can assure you that I used it.

"You think it's because of the case almost being over?" I first sat and then laid back to gaze at the open sky. I saw it more and more as dark and docile as the hours passed.

" Are there any nice things about your past?"

" Only when I watch the videos on my Ipod of other people enjoying their childhoods' and think about what it would be like to have something like that... so no, not unless I got free sweets from a café after their death and after the shock and realizations."

" Did you go to an orphanage?" L asked casually and my eyes found their way over to his odd silhouette.

" Yeah, I was at a church up until I turned 13 and I left. I had gotten bored of the people and visitors. Tired of watching kids get adopted while I pushed away every couple that I caught the eye of." He pivoted towards me with a knowing look.

" You didn't want to find a family that could love you?" His question was innocent and reminded me of our chat earlier that led to him pointing out a flaw in my life that had always been more of the bane of my very existence.

" What I didn't want was to end up being lied to as I was raised and given false thoughts as I developed my personality." I just shrugged it off and let the soft breeze tickle my bare skin.

" I suppose that has its advantages." He chuckled and I stretched and almost curled up into a ball. I could fall asleep here.

" Damn straight." I grinned with my eyes closed for a few more seconds until I thought I should get up.

" Yagami-san plans to retire after this year."

" To help his wife take care of Sayu?" He nodded.

" Shame what happened. Those successor's of yours." I sighed and he sat down in front of me.

" Fleur, what are you afraid of?" His random question caught my attention and I thought about it hard.

" I... what?" He kept his easy eyes on my face... probably waiting for my answer or checking my reaction.

" That wasn't a rhetorical curiosity. I really would like to know." He blinked and I shrugged.

" Many things. "

" Like?" He pressed. Damn it, why couldn't I just duck around this?

" Like," I huffed." Like seeing someone die again... having to deal with another kill or be killed situation and not being able to be the one crawling out alive... again." L was silent. Then his phone rang. I still needed one of those things, huh?

" Yes?...Is that so?...very well. Go ahead." While he was talking with whoever was on the other line, I saw his eyes move to me for a moment and then go back to the conversation before he hung up.

This was bad.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

Stuffing the phone back into my pocket, I looked over my shoulder. She had a look in her eye that told me feared the worst.

" Severino or Clovis Bern was expecting them somehow and the person they found was wearing a disguise to trick us... he's still in hiding and chances are he'll kill again." She frowned visibly and shadowed behind me back inside the building. I felt her cling slightly to me arm and I assumed that she just didn't want a repeat of the incident earlier.

" What do you know about him?"

" He was born and raised in Germany before they moved back to France around his 16th birthday. The time and day he left France aren't known, but I could say that it doesn't really matter. Since the murders started at the same time it means that at one point or another before he moved to Tokyo all four of them passed information around about what was going on and all the other details. Time and place, that sort of thing. He's good with manipulation and from what his neighbors told the police, he hardly ever left his residence that they knew of while he was there."

" It was by chance that we caught him? All because of Vox giving away his place by becoming a little sloppy..." She muttered.

" All it takes is one move that wasn't thought through and everything falls into place for us." I said softly with a smirk.

" And we do still have Severino to catch." She pouted childishly.

" That we do." I sighed my agreement solemnly.

" Though I don't know how he'll act now or where he may be..." This additional confession only added to her gloom. After a few seconds of deep thought, she lifted her head up.

" Wait, Clovis Bern? I think I know places where we can look, but it'll only be a waste if we don't know the general area of where he may be." Sometimes I forgot that we had someone that knew most all of the criminals personally with us. It made me wonder.

" Fleur, do you feel bad at all about putting these people away when they used to be people that took care of you before the incident that led to you being the way you are now?" Her answer was almost immediate.

" No."

" Why not?" This wasn't normal for a person of any age... even when I considered it was Fleur.

" You and I aren't that different, L. Besides, you're smart. I'm sure you could figure that one out for yourself." She shrewdly quipped with a catty grin. That's when I noted that she was heading towards the stairs and knew I wouldn't have to question her whereabouts because she wouldn't leave the building out of fear of Severino. I did feel sort of bad when I realized what that meant though.

I was getting way more attached to this girl than I liked.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

Where was my calendar?! I knew I was forgetting something. I just needed to see what day it was and I forgot to put up a calendar and now I can't even find the damn thing.

Half of my room was a mess because I knew for a fact that it wasn't on the other side, my living room looked more fucked up than when I had fabric everywhere, and my kitchen looked like it had exploded. I sat there with my eyes darting everywhere with my mind constantly thinking the same line over and over again.

' WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?!?!?! WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?!?!?!?!?' To most people, it would seem that I was freaking over something stupid, but they wouldn't know the significance of what I was pursuing because they don't have a clue what it's like to be me.

I can say that because I doubt that many people in this world have been afraid of their birthday since they were 7 and yes that's what I wanted to know and find out. Before I turned thirteen I would literally hide under my bed until exactly twelve the next morning just because I was afraid my father was going to pop out of the closet or into the house and kill me while I slept.

" What are you looking for, Fleur?" Shocked me into temporary paralysis before I realized it was only Bastien.

" Where's the little doggy?" I asked him after I saw him clearly.

" Doggy?" He massaged the bridge of his nose." Fleur, are you talking about Susie? Cause if you are you have some serious issues to deal with."

" What are you talking about?" Yes, I was honestly clueless as to what he was talking about.

" She's a human being! Don't refer to her as an animal!!!" Oh, so it was just that.

" Well, fine....where is she?" She acted like a dog so why couldn't I call her one?

" She's taking a nap, actually. Came down with a bit of a fever the other day." He explained and I pouted.

" Awww, poor baby. Get her some medication and stuff for it?" He plopped down on my neatly made bed and looked around the room after nodding.

" So I see your house went on self destruct today...which brings me back to wondering what the hell you are searching for." He muttered.

" Oh, right...just my calendar."

" Just your calendar? There appears to be quite a bit more to it than that...unless this place really did have something more happen to it than you..." He got a grin on his face I didn't like.

" No, I did not have crazy animal sex with Deneuve." My glare made his shoulders sag and a sad face start.

" How about the roof? You two were up there for quite awhile." I couldn't take this anymore...so I laughed. There was this bundle of something in the pit of my stomach twisting and turning and one would think that it was something else...and for me it was usually nervousness or anger, but this was apparently one of those times.

" Is someone deprived?" I questioned mockingly with an even more mocking facial expression. He frowned and nodded walking towards me.

" You want to help me with that?" Blowing off his hollow offer, I shoved him aside.

" Bastien... I already know you're gay so stop it. I'm surprised that Susie and the others haven't figured it out yet... and speaking of Susie, I'm also a tad shocked she doesn't hate you for not telling her about her parents after she found out."

" She overheard our conversation and understands." Wow, I had no idea and I was impressed that the little girl could hide it so well. Children were always the underestimated ones.

" I'm glad, though I think that she should have punished you a bit more." He made a face and it seemed like a delayed reaction.

" Wait- how'd you know about that?" Men could be so slow, straight or not.

" Bastien... you went shopping with me and hardly complained at all and I think I caught you checking out a guy while we were in the store."

" Hey, that cashier was hot and you know it!" He defended and I pursed my lips, looking like a toothless person trying to smile when I was trying the exact opposite. When he realized what had just flown from his often times impulses lips, his hands clapped over his mouth.

" Oooooo, busted." I sang as I skipped over the mess and picked up some boxes I had yanked out of my closet earlier.

" Damn it." Was both thought and said as I found that I probably shouldn't have let it just drop after I had it off the shelf it had been perched on. The reason might have been because of one of the scrunched up corners.

" Calendar, right?" He asked, interrupting my accumulating mental fire tornado and my head snapped in his direction.

" Yes, thank you." I beamed, hugging him while I snatched the bugger away from him and zipped into the living room, planting myself on the couch.

" Sooooo... what day is freaking you out?" Bastien queried

" None of your business. Go tend to Susie." I demanded while pointing at the door. He grumbled but trudged out as if there was more to his annoying display of affection and once I was sure he was gone I flipped through until I found the day and cringed.

I was turning eighteen tomorrow and that would signify the 11th anniversary of my scars. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that churned and flopped, making me think that I didn't want to tell L just yet...had I even told him the little detail that was flitting around my head like a halo?

No, not really...at least not yet. Looking around, I hardly even noticed the mess and even felt comfortable with it. I had other things on my mind at the moment that kept me well enough distracted.

Getting a drink out of the fridge, I decided on gin and juice while searching my minds darkest corners fruitlessly as I tried to find out where he could be now... but there was a problem. It tended to be a big problem that I always had a certain amount of trouble dealing with when it wasn't case related.

In other words...Deneuve. The whole time I had been working with and for him I've never heard a sexual comment -and hardly ever a curse from him when pertaining to me or really anything. He was a gentleman and seemed to have high set morals... but at the same time I knew my thoughts were missing something. When I thought about it, L has done a lot for me just by suggesting we work together. I have a place to live here, belong, and work without many interruptions if you didn't count the occasional gay Task Force worker... maybe that was the reason I started being more okay with his presence... but, anyways, him and Susie, who wasn't much of a bother at all and more like a curious citizen that couldn't do any harm either way.

' Ugh, I need a shower. Why is it that whenever I work with a guy or hang out with him enough, I get like this? But he's so warm and he's dealt with my mental issues and emotional breakdowns quite well...' I felt like my own angel and devil, my mind wish washing back and forth until I clamored into the bathroom and locked it like it was a safe house door. It pretty much was, though.

' Just shut up and stop thinking.' I ordered myself as I stripped lazily.

As expected, just like all the other times, as soon as I turned on the shower... and as soon as that water hit my skin- I had easier choices to make.

' Clovis Bern... or nothing?' My brain pounced on Clovis and shot off into thought about where he could be. The sooner I dealt with this case, the sooner I could have truly relaxing showers.

During all my thinking and flashbacking, I realized that my father had also been particularly close friends with Clovis as I was growing up. Dad had even invited him to dinner a few times. Bern had owned a company alongside my dad... or at least, that's what they had told mom and I at the time. Huh...Clovis...

My eyes shot open and I ran from the bathroom, barely caring enough to throw a towel around myself to preserve the little dignity I had, but L would freak... so I did.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

From the time that this case had actually started to the time that Fleur had got here up until this very day... I had never thought that I'd be able to say it was predictable for a woman to rush through a building in something as revealing as what I perceived now.

Before me stood the soaking wet and barely covered figure of Fleur, huffing to catch her breath with eyes filled with determination. Not knowing how to react in such a situation, I stayed where I was and made no move in any particular direction as I took in the sight before me. She still had conditioner in her hair and for Fleur, it meant that whatever she came here to tell me was important because I knew how she was with her showers. There were other things that distracted me from actually looking at her, though. Why wasn't she speaking yet? That sorry excuse for a towel she had draped over herself left little to nothing to the imagination and her sopping wet and disheveled hair did not help my predicament. Thankfully her words did.

" Clovis..." She inhaled." Clovis Bern... I know where he is..." Fleur swallowed a breath and I handed her a water bottle only to watch in amazement as she chugged half of it almost as soon as she got it open.

" We...we need to go to Germany..." She assessed the situation herself before adding.

" After I get this stuff out of my hair."

This woman was going to be the death of me.


	10. Vice

Vice

Vi veri universum vivus vici

Why hadn't I thought of it before and why had it taken us such a long time to figure it out now? These were questions that plagued my mind during the beginning of the trip while Fleur slept soundly, apparently okay with flying on a plane to Germany in order to find Severino (after a little convincing). I was just glad I had contacts there.

About a week ago we were still in the building and I was staring at her like an idiot as she slowly but surely caught her breath. She was just standing there, looking around for something it seemed. I turned away from her, yanking my neck in another direction.

" Fleur, go back to your room and get dressed. I'll schedule a flight to Germany." My order fell lightly on her and she hardly reacted at all.

" Nonstop? Straight to it... like the trip from France to here? I don't want to deal with that again...it's more trouble than it's worth." She sounded exhausted already even with her breathing back to ordinariness. My eyes found their way back to the scantily covered girl, moving from her feet, up her smooth legs, the fabric of her immaculate towel ensconcing her body and starting from her mid thigh to just above half of her upper torso. The piece of cloth may be covering her, but fit her like a second skin and I was immensely glad that the Task Force members weren't here right now. Matsuda would have had a fatal nosebleed from just glancing at the suggestive image of her there... zoning out and away from reality again. Why was it she was only really able to focus when she was in the shower? Fleur had absolutely no idea the distraction she created in such flimsy attire. I shook my head.

" This is no time to escape the real world, Fleur." Standing in front of her as she targeted something behind me as I concentrated on her face. Then without another word she spun on her heel and walked out, the steady swaying of her hips brought itself to my attention until she walked out of my line of sight... later coming back in more appropriate wear.

" I don't want to leave yet... I want to wait until I can interrogate the ones we have under supervision first." Was what she tossed behind her.

So then I went with her several days later when she let me know that she was ready to interrogate them her way... with me present nearby. They would be almost fully restrained (not like Misa had been that time) and as Fleur told me 'more willing to talk'... though she later informed me that what we were about to do might be in vain as they were paranoid and insane.

" They must stay the way they are at all times while we are in the same area as them... after they find out why they were caught and that we know what they are doing, they will want to kill us. That part is natural, of course, but you understand my meaning." She mildly rambled as she absentmindedly paced.

Fleur was wide awake and alert when we finally rode to where the three men were waiting. I remember constantly glancing at her to see if she was okay or about to snap because I could never tell.

" I want you to be in the room behind the window. Severino is still out there and we don't know what they are capable of." She muttered. I raised a brow at her request but didn't reply. If it wasn't for her we wouldn't have gotten this much of the case done so quickly, so she was entitled to some...favors, I supposed.

" If you're sure you want to. I won't get in the way." I agreed and she frowned as she looked out the window.

" You've never gotten in the way, Deneuve." She took her Ipod nano out of her pocket and tossed it to me.

" When you get the time, watch the videos on there..." After that was said she was quiet until we reached where they were all being held.

Fleur had chosen to wear the most conservative thing I had even seen her in since she got here. A scoop backed, semi-low, black halter corset that covered everything except a portion of her throat from just above her breast to her neck, where the band around her neck held her top to her body. Thin silvery designs slithered around her top. The skirt was a, full, wine red, ground length piece that flowed just above the ground she walked on, making it appear as though she were gliding. She had on hand made gloves that laced up the sides of her arms and ruffled at the bottom, encircling her hands in soft satiny waves, while florally patterned lace decorated her hands. I had spotted her shoes while she was situating herself in the vehicle. They appeared to be combats with platforms and my thoughts sounded true as I heard the heavy thud of them on the laminate flooring as we made our way to the room.

She had a grip on my hand that I wasn't sure she was aware of. It wasn't painful but it was easy to tell that she was scared. Fleur was looking into the window at Vox or Lamont and her face was set, perfectly hiding her real facial expression from everyone else.

" If you need my help just let me know." I reminded before she entered the room, starting the first interrogation while I stepped into another room, Fleur and Vox coming into view.

Surrounding me where intercoms, camera screens, and all sorts of other technology that made it impossible for us to miss a move either of them made.

Vox seemed shocked by the entry of a girl that appeared to have absolutely nothing to do with the police and her attire made her look more like a dressed up citizen more than anything else. She didn't begin a conversation with Vox and instead just sat there staring at him blankly.

": Since you aren't going to say anything I might as well...why do you look so familiar?:" The man asked, stirring slightly in his seat. There was a high chance that he was somewhat uncomfortable, considering his hands, and feet were bound to a chair that was bolted to the floor.

": You must be remembering my mother.:" Fleur replied lazily, tossing a bored look at him. Vox/ Grenier Lamont scrutinized her from where he sat and blinked surprise after recognition flashed evidently in his eyes.

": You.:" Lamont started before he smiled.": So, you're still alive. I was wondering if your old man had killed you too. You certainly have grown into a beautiful young woman. He would've been proud if he were still here.:"

": If he were still alive I wouldn't be and you'd be out there with him killing people.:" She emphasized darkly.

": I had to.:" Lamont whispered, and I remembered that schizophrenics were different from your average murderer.

": Oh really? Why?:"

": Because God said I needed to find his angels for him. He isn't alive and walking on Earth yet, you know. He requested my help. Me... as well as Carpus, Cato, and Severino.:" His eyes were wide with wonder and madness. Fleur regarded him coldly.

": You killed your wife and about a dozen other women.:" She commented.

": They were angels that God wanted back so I sent them back to him.:" He reasoned.

": Well, your 'angels' were human beings you slaughtered. You sinned trying to become immune to sin. What was the commandment? Thou shall not kill? Wouldn't someone so close to God be able to remember that before believing someone with a higher power was communing with them?:" Vox sat frozen in thought.

": God was talking to me.:" Lamont insisted.

": You're schizophrenic. That's why you went to that institution and that's why you're here now. You are not immune to sin and you are certainly not immune to the law. Now you're going to be locked up for the rest of your life and you recently killed the only person that loved you. You're going to be alone for the rest of your life. Maybe I'll visit someday to ask you how it feels.:"

": But I'm insane!!!! They can't put me in jail for that!!!:" He bellowed as she stood up.

": You're right.:" She admitted simply.": But that doesn't mean that you won't be institutionalized and forced to take medication that will make your God's voice go away. You won't have to kill innocent people anymore.:" As soon as she turned around, Lamont paled visibly and stared at her bare back.

": That mark...He chose you. God chose you to be-:"

": God didn't do shit, Lamont. My father did this to me... and now... your search is over and pretty soon... you'll forget why you tried killing these people.:" She spoke these frostbitten words without turning around and instead continued on to join me in the recording room. I noticed her waver as she closed the door behind her.

" How'd I do?" Her smile was forced and dry but she needed to know she was doing a good thing.

" Amazing. I've never seen a schizophrenic before so this was... educational." As soon as I muttered those words with my index pressed against my lip she started laughing almost maniacally.

" You would say that in a situation like this." I watched her, wanting to smile a bit myself as she vented her stress, but stopped noticing all the technology.

" This is incredible." She whispered in awe as she walked around, pausing when she spotted a man walk in with the next suspect.

" You don't have to do this, you know. Police found evidence in their houses that clearly shows that they're the ones responsible." Fleur's gaze was downcast.

" I have to do this. It won't hurt and I need to do this or else..." Her voice trailed off and she was shaking.

" Do you need anything?" I questioned and she shook her head, throwing her hair from side to side with her.

" Just let me get this over with quickly."

The remaining two interrogations went by almost as quickly as the first but when the last one began with the one known as both Carpus and Didier Hilaire. His first words to her were ones I never thought I'd hear.

" Hello again, Jezebel darling." He spoke in English unlike the other two and his words washed over both Fleur and I. Jezebel Shanton... daughter of Chloe and Artois Shanton. Artois being Aleron. Even Fleur's real name had a meaning...Jezebel was Hebrew for ' Unexalted' while Shanton was French for ' We sing'. Everything that her father had done was calculated and predicted- set by him. He changed his last name to Shanton, named his daughter in a way that would set a phrase, and he waited for her to turn seven so he could ' choose her as the ultimate sacrifice'. There weren't any doubts in my mind that he chose the year, month, and day she was born.

Back to present...

A moan from my left brought me back in time to catch Fleur waking up. I didn't know if it was okay to call her Jezebel so I stuck with Fleur.

Lifting her head up, she looked around for something.

"Is it time to...oh, right... can you tell me again why you bought out the entire first class part of the plane?"

" Because I wanted room for all of the computers, monitors... well all the things I plan on using when we get there." I waited a few moments before adding.

" I also wanted to talk to you." Her head lulled in my direction and she looked up at me from the slightly diagonal angle of her head that was propped on her shoulder.

" This isn't about Carpus exposing my name, is it?"

" Do you not want to talk about it?" Fleur's gaze drifted to the floor of the plane for a moment before returning to meet mine and she stretched her arms as she pushed the seat in front of her forward and rested her feet on them, crossing one leg over the other. It was then that I noticed her shoeless feet clad in a pair of striped thigh highs, one black and white, the other black and purple. They elongated her legs and eventually led to her dark purple shorts with black cuffs and white stitching. Her shirt was loose and a few sizes too big, hanging off her right shoulder and showing of the black and purple strap of what could only be her bra. At first I could hardly see her shorts because of the length of her shirt and the sleeves that were supposed to stop at her upper arm ( T-shirt) when the right sleeve stopped at her elbow, if not a little past it. Her eyes were set ahead of her, and something seemed to waver again.

" I want to change my name entirely. Every time I hear about that name or even think about it..." She glared at the spot in front of her.

Then she fell apart in an emotional mess. Her eyes watered and her look turned forlorn and helpless. Her walls were down again. Discomfort washed over me as I wasn't used to seeing her this way and so I hastily thought about how to cheer her up. I had an idea moments later and turned back to her with a large piece of some of the cheesecake Watari made from scratch.

It seemed that Fleur was partial to homemade cheesecake. She even once told me that it was because it was always different.

Her eyes landed on it and she glanced from it to me and then back to it before laughing and accepting it.

" I don't know how you do that, Deneuve." She grinned as she stabbed the piece with a fork I handed to her.

" That other reason had something to do with your name... or names in general." Pausing with a sigh I looked at her.

" Don't say it." She ordered with a forkful of cheesecake in her mouth. This puzzled me.

" The things I told you were to help with the case. To help you understand what was going on and that sort of thing- and you found out what my name was by complete accident. Don't go telling me things about yourself unless you want to." She went looking for something as she started .

" By the way, do you know how long we've been on this plane?"

" Approximately three hours and twenty- three minutes." I murmured and I heard her sigh as she dug into her snack.

" Is it really that easy to figure out how I work? I mean, I get sad and you give me my favorite dessert... Watari made it, right?"

" On the contrary, I have never had more trouble figuring someone out and I still don't know how you work exactly. Everything has purely been a guess... and yes, Watari did make it." She smiled at me while seeming to be thinking about something. Then she suddenly leaned towards me and kissed me on the cheek, the warmth spreading over my face.

" I destroy things and cause problems, I get lost and become irrational, I hold everything in when I can't break things and later on end up making a fool of myself by bawling my eyes out. I don't know how you can deal with me." Her cheerful murmur and smile caught me off guard.

" You're generally a very pleasant person to be around. I can accept your quirks about as easily as you seem to be able to accept mine." I stated bluntly and she seemed confused.

" I turned eighteen about a week ago." She informed out of the blue while taking a look out the window and another forkful of her cheesecake.

" Everything's a pattern... so many shapes. Squares, circles and rectangles...plus triangles in different colors. People are so exact it is outrageous." Times like this I really didn't know whether to worry about her sanity or not.

" Why'd did you tell me that you were eighteen?"

" Thought you might want to know the general week around my birthday. I've never liked remembering anything from my past. I also didn't want you to feel obligated to get me anything." I felt the corners of my lips tug downwards.

" Sometimes you sound like you have an inferiority complex... too bad I know you better than that. Unless you do feel inferior..." The feeling washed over me that I only really second guessed myself when it came to her.

" No, not inferior... just not worth the attempt. We're solving this case together and that's the best gift I could ever have. The gifts I like are a bit less materialistic." She smiled smally as she muttered this to me and I made sure to note that fact... even though I should have already known it since she was that type of person. Not one I could put a specific name to, but still. It sounded as if she was just covering up something that was bothering her.

" Is it about Severino or just the time it'll take to get to Germany?" I questioned and caught her stiffen.

" Both." She huffed with a pout." And stop doing that mind ready thingy you do. It makes my skin crawl when you say things so...on the dot like that."

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

Several hours later it looked like he fell asleep. If I looked closely the bags under his eyes were less there when he had his eyes closed. He looked less... panda like but at peace at the moment.

' But now I can't get up to get more food.' I pouted and twiddled my toes. As I thought about L, I wondered about why I did it and was thankful that he wasn't anyone else because any other guy would've made things boringly awkward. Okay, I didn't wonder about why I kissed him. I liked him and it was a normal thing to do in France. Kissing was just that to me and it wasn't like I was gonna tell him I liked him in the middle of a case. That was risky and just begging to scream trouble.

" What if Severino is waiting for us?" I whispered to myself.

" You can't live a healthy lifestyle thinking things like that." Made me jump and curl up like an armadillo. I didn't know I had said it out loud as I thought it.

" Sorry," He muttered." I didn't mean to startle you."

" Its fine. I'm almost used to it." You know, now that I thought about... why wasn't he questioning it?

' Then again if he questioned everything I did. I'd have a lot of answering to do.'

" Are you hungry?" My stomach took the moment to growl traitorously. I almost felt like blaming it on L for saying something but I already knew he'd win that debacle so I kept my mouth shut.

" I guess so." The sleepy detective handed me a box of something labeled Pocky. Chocolate covered biscuit sticks? Prying it open with ease, I took one out with two fingers and examined it closely.

" Are they good?" I asked curiously.

" You've never had them?" Shaking my head, I looked at them with scrutiny.

" They're pretty good. I prefer the strawberry cream covered ones myself." With only one way to find out I chomped onto part of the piece of pocky and munched... finding it was actually quite delicious.

" There are other kinds?" I enjoyed talked like this with L whenever they came up. They diverted my thoughts from their usual morbid path.

" Oh, before I forget I do have a question for you." My slight smile showed on my lips as the chocolate made me feel all fuzzy inside. This question noticeably quirked his interest.

" Yes?"

" What are you afraid of?" Deneuve paused for a moment.

" If it makes you uncomfortable... you don't have to answer, but I got curious after you brought the question upon me." L was still a person and that meant that I often had difficulties talking to him in fear that I would say something that would let lead him to hate me.

" No, and I'm afraid of monsters." Jaw set and brow knitted, something didn't make sense to me. Monsters. Turns out he wasn't finished.

" A particular type of monster, you see. One like me... one like Light Yagami. He almost beat me and would have if I had missed anymore clues than what I already missed."

" You and I are... monsters?" Looking like a child didn't matter during the time I was in front of L- or anyone else for that matter.

" We go on with our lives doing basic human things when really it is just our way of surviving in this world. We hide in order to not be spotted by people destined and determined to expose us for what we really are." I was beginning to understand what he was trying to talk to me about.

" We seek out monsters that are worse than ourselves in order to make ourselves look better than them when really... the truth that no one sees is that in order for us to be able to kill these monsters before they kill us is to be... worse than them." My voice had gotten quiet as I ended my sentence and I trailed off.

" Fleur, please stay with me." He was incredibly close since he had turned to face me and his breath could be felt against my ear, making the skin on the back of my neck raise and my face heat up. It was bad enough that his words could be taken the wrong way, but with him being so contiguous made what he said seem like it was more... intimate than what I knew he really meant. The flesh of my ear was pathetically sensitive and- god damn it! He just said it because he didn't want me to zone off again and look what I'm doing.

" U-uhm. Sorry about that. Did you want to tell me something?" My flustered state was obvious and I saw something that was either curiosity or mischief flash through his eyes.

" Yes... I was just wondering if you've ever had Tarte Tatin*. I hear it's very popular in France." Deneuve mentioned. It sounded more like he was trying to distract me from zoning out again by catching me off guard. 

" Yes, it was my mother's favorite." My nose was suddenly tickled by the smell of the caramel and warmth filled me... just the thought of the delightful treat made me lick my lips hungrily. Then the thought of my mother made me somewhat depressed. Times like that I missed her.

" I see. I apologize for bringing back memories that were unpleasant." He whispered sheepishly as he glanced out the window. Made me wonder... did he even care for flying?

" Eh, it was bound to happen sooner or later and it's not like it's anything less than necessary."

" Yes but I feel like it would've been better left for later on in the case... though any information on your past regarding your parents- particularly your father seems to be very helpful to the completion of this case. The thing that worries me the most is that we have no idea where he is in German, as there are many asylums he could go to."

" That's right." Pausing to stare at him for a moment, I contemplated asking him to move, and decided to instead just go through the seat in front of me so not to bother him. He sent his eyes my way.

" I'm looking up Clovis Bern's father's personal information. He may be looking for the one his father went to if his father had ever been institutionalized. If not then we can just check for ones close to where he lived when he resided here." He nodded.

" How have your thoughts been since this case started? You seem to be reacting in a more stable way lately. I hope you aren't holding anything in."

" No, Denueve, I'm fine. I haven't been holding anything in... just nulling the effects by doing other things to keep my mind off of it. The sooner this case is over the better." My stated was true as most of what I said was by nature. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket ( L had gotten her a new one for emergencies before they had gotten onto the plane).

" Hello, Bastien?"

" Hey, Fleur, just thought I'd let you know that Susie and I got plane tickets and are flying from a different plane to Germany. Susie prefers when people are all around her and things like that. I don't how to say it better than just telling you that she's a kid."

" Thanks for telling me. Call and let me know when you arrive and I'll inform you on our whereabouts."

" I wouldn't have it any other way." He sounded like he was smiling fondly and it made me smile. Bastien was the first homosexual I had ever encountered and in that moment I decided that he was awesome.

Sliding the mini- machine closed I turned to L.

" I gave Bastien my number in a text and he called and informed me that he and Susie just boarded a different plane and are heading to the same destination." I beamed and my mind reeled at the thought of actually finishing this case soon. What is Severino looking for in Germany if it isn't more recruits to manipulate? Is he really going to Germany or was that just an impulsive thought that is leading us astray? Would he go in search of people at his father's original asylum home? Plaguing inquiries like these bugged my mind like a fly pinging back and forth off a light bulb.

" He's been very helpful to you, hasn't he?" L mumbled and I pondered this. It was true that Bastien had helped me through quite a few of my troubles during this long journey of a issue.

" I guess you could say that." I noticed his look and smirked a little.

" Why do you ask?" He shrugged half heartedly.

" Just wondering." L replied whilst keeping his gaze on me. It was only slightly unnerving.

" Jealous?"

" Maybe." This was something I wasn't expecting and I shot him an exasperated wide eyed glance. There was no way to tell if my frequently lying partner in answer finding. A feeling of... flattery flushed my pale cheeks as I returned to my researching.

" God dammit." Fell from my lips as I continued to comment on my findings." I really hope he isn't looking for where his father went to be hospitalized."

" Why not?" Denueve was behind me now, looking over my shoulder at the screen.

" Because it's not in Germany. It was the Broadmore Hospital for the Criminally Insane and it's in England. So, either I'm right in bringing us to Germany or I'm not."

" Do you have much luck in your guessing?" I had to think in order to answer this one.

" Sometimes." Was all I found.

" Then that's what we are working with." Well, that helped.

" Was that supposed to comfort me?"

" Not really, but isn't it better now that you know your chances?"

" Only a little. There's another part of my mind telling me that if we're wrong that it's my fault." I admitted. Glaring at his thoughtful look and finger pressed bottom lip, I cut him off before he could answer adding.

" Don't comment on that." Then he turned his small smiling eyes on me with slightly upturned lips. That wasn't fair.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

There was a chance that she was wrong and I did put this into account before thinking over whether or not to schedule a flight to England from our stop right from the same airport. It would be better if we stayed in Germany for awhile instead of jumping to conclusions. Plus she did also mention the asylums close to Bern's prior residence so she wasn't entirely wrong about some of the other options if she was incorrect about his current whereabouts.

Going back to this Bastien business, I was finding that feelings of jealousy were there, but after her smirk I believed that there was something she wasn't telling me.

" Where's Watari?" She wondered out loud, peering around the plane for him.

" Yes?" Said man asked, making Fleur jump slightly with large eyes as she gaped at him for a few seconds before gaining her composure.

" Right, ummm. Could you make me some coffee with caramel and chocolate chips mixed in? I'm really craving something like that right now."

" Of course. I will be right back." He smiled.

" Thanks, Watari." She smiled before he walked away and she turned back to her computer screen. Her reactions made me both curious and a little worried. The main reason why I hardly ever worked with people was because of what was too late to prevent by now.

There was over a 60% chance that I had emotionally crossed the business barrier between Fleur and myself. Strangely enough, I had also been... predicting that something like this would happen. She was always on my mind as her past and present revolved around this case but I didn't like the thought of her just turning to me for comfort because she was dealing with too much... as nice as it would be to know that she trusted me enough to confide such usually omitted information to me.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I dug and the aura around her sharpened slightly. She seemed to have noticed that I was catching on to her... out of character actions.

" Why do you ask?"

" Because you haven't had a single alcoholic drink of any sort since you woke up... not that I'm all that opposed to it. It's just not like you." The last part was said under my breath. It was sort of backwards to be bothered when they didn't drink something that was known to obviously be bad for them in just about every way.

"Yeah, it's strange," She started." I've been forgetting things so much more often lately."

" Do you think its...."

" The case? No. If it was I think it would've begun awhile ago. Don't you think?" Fleur pondered with a lopsided smile. She was grinning at the ceiling of the airplane.

" I just want inside their head. Find out what they're thinking and why they were all diagnosed with the same sort of schizophrenia."

" That isn't common?"

" No, actually. I've never heard of anything like it before even though they have communicated in the institution and more than likely... gained it the same way..." A light flashed on in her head and she smiled.

" Seems so fascinating." I lost her again and it made me sigh. As long as she always came back from these mental journeys of hers I didn't mind her wandering off every now and again.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

After the remaining hours full of either painful silence or blissful small talk, we exited the plane with our supplies, and I almost immediately frowned. My surroundings were so cold that the ground was frostbitten and one giant cloud blocked out any trace of a sun. Digging into my bags, I pulled out a black trench coat that I had gotten my restless paws on and sewn a strapless golden rod corset with silvery gear designs all over it. On the back was a lace up adjuster with little gears at the ends of the laces. On the inside of the trench coat was a long full gown-made-pseudo-skirt of the same color as the corset and had gear clutters spotted everywhere and hemmed with black lace. The last little addition to the garment were the cuffs, they resembled the corset and long skirt. The only thing wrong with it was that I had yet to lace up the adjuster and I had the trench coat zipped up already.

" Deneuve?" He looked over at me in acknowledgement to my approaching question.

" Could you tie the back? I forgot to do it before I put it on." While asking this question I realized how truly odd our relationship was. I was supposed to think of him as simply a partner or a friend and yet when I felt the tightening of lace stings by seemingly invisible hands... my heart rate quickened.

"That alright?" Nodding, I turned and smiled brightly at him.

" Yes, now I just need to change my shoes up." So I plucked out a pair from another bag. They were an older style with black covering the toes and heels while white lathered the rest and two black buttons spotted the top vertically. The heels weren't thin like stilettos because if they were I'd never be able to walk in them. Instead they were an inch or so high from the ground and almost platform thick.

" Have I ever told you that your constant change of style and dress never ceases to fascinate me? Why don't you do something with your material creativity and open up a shop?"

" Because then I wouldn't stick out and make other people feel as awkward as they make me." My answer was almost instantaneous.

" You enjoy sticking out but don't like people." L put together.

" Precisely, my friend. Please tell me there's a car nearby. Right now I don't care how spoiled I sound- it's freezing out here." Complaining like this wasn't really my thing but when you aren't used to a country, you tend to become sensitive to the weather changes. I heard L chuckle and shot him a look. How come he was warm? Probably too distracted with watching every move the people around him made and that sort of thing.

" There's a rented car right over there." He directed and I clapped almost giddily.

" Come on, Deneuve." Reaching out, I grabbed his arm and almost dragged him to it. It was mostly so I could steal whatever warmth I knew the male species naturally had... as unfair as it was to me and the rest of women everywhere. Even through my coat I could sense his body heat radiating lightly off his clothes, and my hands felt like they were holding onto an electric blanket.

" It's a good thing that you didn't drink anything." I knew what he meant. Alcohol may make you warm up for awhile but soon after it make your body temperature drop like a corpse in a freezer.

" I guess, but as soon as we get to where we're staying. I'm curling up on the sofa with a mug of whiskey and if there's a fire place I'm building a fire." Maybe if I ranted and kept my mind busy then I too could reach a state of temperature change immunity.

My body was practically bouncing as we got to the hotel.

" Ooooo, good taste."

" Penthouse suite and three floors below it are all ours." My eyes lit up. I felt more spoiled than I had in my entire life... at least since I'd started living with L.

" When we get everything set up we'll start searching for Bern." He added.

That's right... Bern. I had almost forgotten about him completely and now I had to remind myself nonstop that this wasn't a vacation.


	11. Xavier

Xavier

Unitam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!

 

I walked into the living room and rushed over to the fire with some of my bags and yanked out a blanket. The cold was so bad out there my whole body was shaking as I pulled the rectangular weapon against the killer freeze and huggled it close to my frame. Watari walked over and started a fire.

" You are an amazing man, Watari." A certain degree of happiness warmed my face more when I realized I couldn't see my breath here.

Clicking caught my attention and I looked up in time to see orange and yellow flickering in the fireplace as Watari closed the little gate. Scooting closer to the pretty colors, I could already feel the growing warmth reach me as my blanket whisked away my fatal shaking.

Now all that was missing was missing was my whiskey.

" Watari, can you whip me up a good icy cold whiskey now that I'm warm?" Then my face brightened.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

 

As I saw her face light up, I had a feeling I knew what she was about to say next.

" Holy shit!!I can legally drink here!!! Sixteen to drink- we should've moved here earlier." She only seemed to be predictable when it had something to do with beer and the sort. The wide grin on her face said everything. She had found her Nirvana here by remembering that one fact.

" Now that I'm all covered up." All I saw was obvious moving underneath the blanket and my eyes widened when I saw one of her petit hands toss her trench coat, T- shirt, and shorts into a pile behind her. My mind had difficulty registering thought for a moment as I knew that under that thick blanket was a young woman wearing nothing more than her underwear, shoes, and mismatched striped tights.

After two thuds were heard, I noted that shoes were stricken out of that list.

" Do I even have to ask?"

" You shouldn't. Don't you know that a person warms up faster depending on how little they are wearing?"

" As true as that is why do I think that you're just using that fact as an excuse?" She laughed as she took a gulp from her drink.

" Because excuses are excuses and facts are facts."Fleur stated before asking. " Does it make you feel uncomfortable?" With a look tossed my way.

' She either has no common sense or she wants me dead.' Sometimes I still had trouble remembering who I was talking to.

" Fleur, I find you're constantly overestimating my self control." That seemed to have made sense to her.

" Right, sure because you have an interest in me." She snorted.

" You think that it isn't possible for me to be attracted to you?" This pricked my curiosity as I saw her pause and turn towards me, doing a double take. I caught her face changing color.

" Well, I already know that people can have sex without having feeling for one another, but I wasn't talking about that." The girl with many names verbally staggered." And what does this have to do with the case anyway?" She flabbergasted in addition.

" Nothing, but you were the one that made a show of stripping your clothes off under the minor security of a blanket."

" To keep me warm." Fleur argued flatly.

" I was just suggesting that you not do it with me in the room... or any other man for that matter."

" You'd be perfectly fine with catching it on camera though, huh?"She smirked and I frowned.

" I'm actually quite respectful of your privacy, Fleur, as I know how fond you are of walking around with barely an article on when in the confines of your room."

' And apparently when you're alone with me and covered by something else.' I mentally added.

" You know, I simply hate that I can't say that you're lying." She pouted, her French accent getting heavier the more whiskey she drank.

'Must not be as much of a heavyweight with whiskey as she is with other drinks. Probably doesn't drink it as often.' I pondered briskly.

" I wouldn't get drunk here if I were you." Fleur fell on her back and curled up even more if that were possible.

" Whoa-oh, my phone." She pressed a button and answered it.

" Hello... oh, hey Bastien. How's Susie?..... Yeah, sounds like her. ...You guys get off the plane yet?..... Another hour? Okay." She gave him the address and I saw a flash of more black and purple. They were spots, stripes, and mild lacing. I wondered if her choice of underclothing changed as often as her outer wear. A strange thought, yes, but still enough to make me somewhat curious.

" So, who's Bastien?" This caught her ear.

" What are you talking about, silly? He works for you and with those other Task Force people, but he's stronger than them. You allowed him to join the team and you know about little Susie. With her big blue eyes and..." Her eyes widened and she started to tear. I didn't know what to do.

" What's wrong, Fleur?"

" What's wrong?" She repeated." You don't know Bastien or Susie... and that means that they either lied to me or I've got what my father had. It means that I've been crazy since the plane ride to Tokyo."

" Fleur-"

" I ended up with my father's illness, Deneuve." The hysterical woman interrupted.

" I knew of it beforehand... actually, I suspected it sometime after you arrived here." Fleur's crestfallen and confused face kept me talking.

" Your thoughts were slowly becoming... unorganized... I noticed your mind and mentality eventually change into what you described to me in your work." I stood up and walked over to her after I finally made up my mind about whether or not I should. Sitting next to her I got a closer look at her lost expression. Her puffy eyes, constant sniffing because of her runny nose, and trembling lips told me I had to watch what I said because she was vulnerable right now.

" I'm just happy you were sane enough to notice it yourself and didn't deny it. Hopefully, it will not interfere with your work... I was once told by someone about a year ago that insanity isn't an illness, but more of a sign that the person with it has potential and intelligence beyond what many can comprehend."

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

My water battered eyes widened. I had told him that during a case involving a black widow type case that went on when I was still in France and he was in Tokyo.

Why didn't I notice this before? If L had known Bastien in the first place I wouldn't have had to explain to him why I stayed back while Bastien and Susie left... and no wonder those drivers looked at me funny when I told them to take my friend's home. Deneuve also wouldn't have been jealous at all if he had already known Bastien since he would've already known Bastien was gay.

Unless he was the type that got jealous of hallucinations.

" Bastien's gay." I muttered, watching his reaction curiously. He frowned and sighed.

" So, either way I had nothing to worry about." The spiky haired man pouted and I giggled. I felt better but a hug sounded nice.

" L?"

" Hm?"

" Can I have a hug?"

" No, you'd expose your underwear." He pointed, reminding me that I was wearing less than I ever dared to wear around Avent.

" So? I don't care."

" I do." L intervened, staring hard into the multicolored flame. I wondered if I could get him to not care.

" Please? Just a hug? My underwear's cute and covers." Maybe this wasn't the easiest thing to negotiate about. I continued when he didn't respond.

" I'll give you one anyway." Ha! He couldn't fight that.

" Fleur..." Before I had the chance to protest, he picked up my drink from my hands and set it on the floor beside him, lifted me up, and started carrying me.

" Where are you taking me?" This wasn't the hug I wanted.

" You're body is going to adjust to the time change again and you will need your sleep." I wasn't used to being in the middle of drunk and sober-closer to drunk, before. My head was fuzzy, and although I could think straight... I felt farther away from thought. In the end of my deep confuzzle, I came to the conclusion that I'd cling to L, and hugged my arms around his neck.

" That means you need to sleep too." I retorted.

" If I do, then you'll either have to get more clothes on or I'll sleep in another room." His attempted reason had a loop hole that I targeted.

" Or I could just not let go of you while you're putting me down."

" Fleur, what am I to you?" For a moment right after those words... I sobered up and that short moment was all I seemed to need.

" To me... you are the only person I can think of that I can trust. Actually and seriously trust... but what kind of question is that, Deneuve? Why ask a question when you already know the answer?" Then the moment left and a lopsided grin replaced my expression as if I had dissociative identity disorder.

" Do you really not want to see my underwear?" By now, even in my state of liquor saturation, I could tell that he was waiting for me to pass out.

" Fleur, if you want me to stay with you then I'll have to ask you to keep on...whatever clothing you have on, and stay underneath this blanket."

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

By the time I finish my reasoning, she's already asleep and if it wasn't for the circumstances and that it was Fleur, I would've left her there to sleep alone. Frankly, Fleur was the last person I could do that to.

The next morning I woke up and froze. The young woman that had been sleeping next to me last night was still underneath the blanket but hugging my arm tightly.

Not wanting to wake her up, I simply sighed and lay back down. It wasn't so bad with her temperate form huddled so close to me. The only problem was that she smelled heavily of alcohol.

Fleur knit her eyebrows and turned to the side, releasing my arm and rolling over in her sleep, back to me only to push herself up on her left arm until she was sitting. After stretching out her arms and exposing her half covered back to me, she wrapped her arms around herself and I noted the goose bumps prickling their way up them. The underwear she had mentioned the morning before was light purple- maybe orchid and had the appearance of a soft material. I had seen more but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let her know that I was awake, so I just waited for her to wake up and get rid of what was probably a hangover.

": Orange juice.:" She mumbled and stood up with the blanket wrapped semi loosely around her as she left the room.

Whenever I did get sleep, I found that it was hard for me to wake up, especially when it meant that Fleur was nearby.

" Why didn't you tell me that you weren't real? Susie, I trusted you." She was talking to her hallucination.

" I'm sorry guys... but I'm going to have to ignore you from now on... or at least until Deneuve and I solve this case. When that time comes around, I'll have to get help- especially if this illness gets worse. Let me get my orange juice and get dressed, okay? I'm freezing." She sounded so young and exhausted.

Then there was a crash several minutes later and I got up and rushed into the kitchen.

" Mother fucking monkey mansion!!" One of the first times I've ever heard her raise her voice. This meant that she had probably cut herself on whatever broke.

" I just wanted a glass of orange juice." She mumbled weakly when I saw her seated on the kitchen floor with one leg held up with her hands, she looked at her wound(s) with a wince.

" Stay away from the glass, Susie." Fleur chided and I glanced behind me.

" No one's there, Fleur."

" I know, okay. Just let me think that I'm not insane for awhile longer. Just until we finish the case."

" I've never heard you yell that loudly before. Is it serious?"

" No." She scowled at her foot as she searched for the glass pieces spread out over the small expanse of her heel and toe.

All that remark and reaction told me was that she wasn't going to cooperate with what I was going to do after I swept aside the glass until Watari entered the room and took care of the rest. I picked her up and walked over to the couch.

" Hey, what about my orange juice?" She pouted juvenile-y, not seeming to care about her scant state of dress. For a moment I had forgotten that she was practically naked under that blanket.

" Please cover yourself, Fleur, it's very distracting."

" So is the pain in my foot." She retorted as she laid back and tugged the blanket close around her, covering the black and orchid colored lingerie.

" I know and I'm trying to take care of it. Watari, get me some tweezers, disinfectant, water, and a towel." I subconsciously ordered as I examined her minimal, though obviously painful, injuries.

" Let go of my foot. I can deal with it, okay?" She tried pulling her foot away, but a look from me was all she needed to stop struggling and let me get the pieces out. Watari didn't take very long, and when he got back, I started on the shards in her foot.

For the most part she was quiet and I guessed that it was because she had finally gotten her orange juice and her hangover was gone. Around that time it meant that her pain tolerance was up now. Though every once in awhile I did catch a wince or two for some of the larger bits that had dug their way into the underside of her appendage.

" How did you manage to step on all this glass?" I inquired while removing a large piece and dropping it into the trash nearby.

" I wasn't thinking about it. It was there but it didn't seem like a danger to me. I heard a crashing noise and then Snap, Crackle, Popopain... I had glass in my foot and it hurt." She bit her lip as I pulled out another shard delicately, but quickly. The quicker I removed the pieces, the less painful it would be for her.

After taking out the last bits, she snatched the peroxide from me and poured some of it over the open wounds.

" I keep forgetting that I need to be more aware of my surroundings and that danger is something I need to look out for. No wonder I keep getting hurt." She hissed under her breath.

" Having difficulty sensing when you're in danger is a part of being schizophrenic. I remember reading that." I nodded as I bandaged up her foot. Even though I hadn't mentioned it in my request, Watari had still remembered that I would need them.

" Well, this is becoming a major setback." She frowned as I stood up and sighed.

" You should get dressed. We have work to do." I mumbled before escaping to the main room, full of my familiar computers and monitors. Not long after Fleur walked in (fully clothed) with coffee and stood beside me, glancing at me and then placing the mug on the desk beside me.

" Thanks for helping me. I put ten sugar cubes in it and some chocolate syrup. It's all mixed in." She had different ways of thanking people when it came to them helping her.

" You're welcome... why do you think that Susie and Bastien are the hallucinated people you see?"

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

This was a good question. Sitting down and looking over to the young girl and her older brother, I pondered it.

" Susie has the personality I imagined I would have if I had grown up...differently, and as for Bastien. He's her older brother and wishes to protect her. I never had that as an only child and if I did, he would've been the one branded with the marks I have. They're pieces of a fantasy life I had created growing up, I guess. Made up to make me feel like I belonged to a family of sorts... had a place that wasn't full of horror and malice. Avarice and a decaying future." I didn't know where that had come from but it fit in with everything else to me.

" You're envious of other people's lives?"

" I think so. Makes sense to translate it that way, doesn't it? Of course it depends on whose life it is."

" It always depends." He agreed as he typed my way through the data he had gathered thus far.

" It would appear that that isn't quite true. Severino, Carpus, Cato, Vox, my father and the other three that were in that institute all had the same sort of schizophrenia, it seemed. That is very rare unless..." My brain was working overtime as I thought like a schizophrenic, which like a spider trying to connect the dots on a piece of paper rather than weave its web. I preferred not to think with my disorder unless I absolutely had to because I knew that using that would only make it harder to fight and get out of.

" You said they met up in the institution, right?" That was Bastien, he knew I could hear him. I had no choice, really. I was the only one that could and that meant I had to be able to hear him.

" Your father was a very manipulative man." He continued as I nodded subconsciously as I placed the pieces together.

" Hey, Watari, can you get me a beer? I need to think." I asked in almost a whisper. It seemed that I was fighting and thinking at the same time. It was a lot harder to separate real from fake than I had ever thought.

After I was able to grasp my beer, I pulled off the tab and threw back almost half the can.

" Alright, we know they met up in the asylum and that it was likely my father was the one in charge of them all having the same mind set. It would only make sense that the one that is most insane would be in charge of a thing like that. Look at Severino... he's the most brutal out of them all and was probably chosen by my father to be the second leader ten years later. Everything with my father was calculated and planned. Thought out and it always fell precisely as he set it. He picked the year, month, day, and even the hour I was born. When I was seven years old he branded me... he may not have planned his own death, but it isn't something I would doubt. The parts of the brain responsible for his thinking process may have deteriorated sooner and more potently than he had anticipated. That could be why he tried to kill me after he saw that I had witnessed what he had done."

" I wouldn't doubt that he also planned for Severino to start these killings ten years later with the other four to continue after he died or ended up back in the institution. He was prepared either way." Deneuve finished.

" Exactly. If I had died when I was seven... he would have won his immunity to sin and might have killed off the others so that he didn't have to share it with anyone else. He would have done that to be the only one singled out by God."

" That's a pretty twisted view of your father even if he had schizophrenia." He commented.

" I only had to know him for seven years to know everything there was to know as well as everything I needed to know about my father. I had to know in order to survive as long as I did."

" He killed you mother so he didn't have to leave the house for his next victim. He lived in an area where a killing would've just added another week of immunity and he could stay and keep an eye on you during that time." Bastien muttered." Had you not heard her and walked in on it." This meant that it was my survival that had led to this steady massacre and that I was basically responsible for the deaths of these people.

" Would he hide or search for more like himself?" Susie wondered.

" The latter but he'd find ones weaker than himself to use. Keep up the cycle, keep his immunity, and sustain- in the end... his control. In his mind God only really talks to him. Now that Aleron and the other three died. To him, if they fail... then God plans it." Hopefully, L could understand what Susie had said.

" What would happen if Bern had learned that God had planned for him to fail?" I blinked. He had a point.

" His world would fall apart and his mind would have to rebuild it differently, not to mention quickly, in order to not have him completely shut down. Eventually, he will unknowingly go that far anyways and end up like father." I answered.

' I'll end up like father.' Was what I didn't add. It was inevitable now. My schizophrenia may be helping us solve the case... but it was still schizophrenia. As easy as it would be to treat it was still incurable. It wasn't exactly something I liked to think about. Drinking more of my beer, I thought while staring at the screens. They made this place look so much more familiar and... habitual to me. I had always liked those computers ever since the first time I saw them. L had set them up almost perfectly. They were nearly the same as when we were in Tokyo.

My sudden spout of laughter scared me and I was silent for a moment. I needed to break something so I ran into the next room and looked around fervently.

Then I trashed the room.

I slammed the dresser to the floor, took a drawer from the ground and (with much effort) smashed every mirror I could find, and tossed the useless object to the floor. The urge to scream was overpowering. When I tore the blankets and sheets from the bed and grabbed the closest sharp item I could find (I think it was a broken shard of the dresser drawer I had just used) and jabbed the weapon into the mattress again and again until I couldn't see anything other than feathery white guts and springs.

Why couldn't it all just go away? The rare times the memories left me alone were when I was destroying something or working on a specific part of this case... being around that quirky detective in the other room helped too. When he was around my mind was usually clouded with either him or the case itself, but right now no one could help.

It didn't take long for me to run out of things to break and when I did I just sat there, actually crying now. I couldn't get the images out of my head and I knew almost immediately that I was having another episode. My scars were screaming and burning to the point where I was sure blood was going to start spewing from my back or that it had just been set on fire from a small spark of the memories of the day he killed mom and tried to kill me- I just had to stop thinking.

" Jezebel...?" My breath caught and my eyes widened as I shakily looked up to see myself- no... it was my mom. Her hair was longer than mine, even at forty. She had always been remembered as a young kind of woman. Her eyes were larger than mine too as if they had never aged with her. Tears seared down my face even as I smiled and ran over, hugging her tightly in fear she would disappear.

" I'm sorry, Mommy. I'm so sorry. I-I should have known he wasn't better and that he had stopped taking his lithium. And I'm sorry I killed him, I know you loved him even if he was sick." Sniffling like a child, I hugged her tighter.

" Jezebel..." That wasn't her voice, and I snapped out of it and realized that I was no longer embracing my mother, but rather someone male.

" You saw your mother? It wasn't a good idea for you to have pushed yourself earlier. Did you hurt yourself at all?" It was L. His deep near purr of a murmur was slightly disappointing yet soothing and comforting in its own way.

" No, I just had an episode."

" Yes, because of you using the schizophrenic part of your mind."I shook my head.

" There is no schizophrenic part of my mind, Deneuve. The disorder is there already as a whole. I've had it for too long. The longer I have it, the more often and worse the hallucinations and episodes will get...without treatment but treatment will make me and everything around me boring."

Four months passed before we found any recent trace of Severino. Even then it wasn't a trace as much as it was an inkling that he had found three other people like him and manipulated them into thinking the same thing that my father had tricked me into thinking and I was already even more of a mess than before. During that time, however, we had also found out where he had been this whole time and which hospital he had basically stolen these patients from. We had been able to pin point his location and send a SWAT team over to arrest him. At the same time we stopped him from killing his third victim- or the twelfth if you want to get all technical.

Today I was sitting on the couch back in Tokyo with L typing away in search of his next case and I was wondering if any of it had ever really happened at all. I was dubious of my mind and myself because I knew that I could no longer really trust my either. So, instead of thinking about that... I focused on my heart.

" Hey, L?"

He looked up from his work and over at me. When I glanced at the clock, I noticed that I had been sitting here zoning out for about an hour now without saying a word.

" Yes, Fleur?" He had learned quite some time ago that calling me by my birth name was a bad idea because I'd mistake him for one of my parents... and yes I said one. My father had popped up a few times while we were solving the case and he made me not only fear for my life but had also started up one of my hyperventilating panic attacks with the tears running down my face, runny nose, and everything. All of those times that had happened L had been there for me to cling to while he attempted to calm me down.

Safe to say he no longer forgot to call me Fleur... and Myles every now and again for the fun of it, I was sure.

" What am I to you?"

" That depends." That was my answer. I pouted at him while waiting for him to explain himself.

" I see you as a most trusted friend, partner.... and someone I love very much." A smile took over my face and I beamed like a drunk newborn child. If he wasn't joking and my mind wasn't screwing with me, than I had just become the happiest little schizo in the world.

" Is that so?" I tested, and he nodded.

" Yes, I have no reason not to. Why are you smiling like that?" For a genius, he could be kind of stupid sometimes, but I just shrugged that off and said.

" I guess it's because I love you too." Not even my father's mental hologram could take this away from me.

XCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCXCX

From the first time I met her to this day Fleur has always been able to surprise me and make me think, but right now I couldn't think. I knew she trusted me since she frequently walked around nearly naked, but the thought of her actually loving me wasn't something I had ever thought I'd hear her say...ever.

She had become more unstable mentally, yes, but it didn't matter to me because I knew I loved her and now just a few seconds ago that she felt the same about me.

Fleur stood up and looked around and I worried for a moment that she had heard another voice that only she herself could hear. I was afraid for a moment that she had delved once again into her insanity and wouldn't come back. Just like a few weeks ago.

Her most recent momentary loss of sanity happened around then. After she had talked to Severino and to this day I berate myself for ever letting her into the same room with that psychopathic schizophrenic. He had no doubt twisted up her mind more, having known who she was within his first glance. Surprisingly, he had been the youngest out of them all, but he was also the second most experienced with his trade. He was a businessman for cover and did his job well and when he brought that into his other 'job'... he was professional. That was hard to think about in its self. A young man that worked as a businessman as a cover, knew how to manipulate for a living, and heard what he thought was ' God'...

Instead I found she was looking for Watari.

" Let's celebrate!" Of course she would say something like that because it involved drinking. I needed to stop fixating on when she would once again have an episode and started screaming for her life and the lives of others. I had never known someone that feared their father so much and hated their past as much as this mixed up girl in front of me did. Even as she helped Watari set it up and bring out the drinks and an amount of cakes and treats that I had never seen out all at once before in my life (which was saying something). She sat down on the couch and patted the spot beside her.

" To love and justice!" She smiled again, seeming much happier than usual, meaning much happier than I was used to seeing from her. I didn't have a problem with it at all, though. It was wonderful to see her so estatic and I hoped that it wasn't a one-time thing. Her smile made me want to smile, and I only ever really got that feeling from her.

I blinked with wide eyes when I felt someone flick my forehead and was met with brown orbs.

" I smell worry and it stinks." She frowned while sticking her tongue out at me. Sometimes it was scary when she knew what was going through my head. I preferred the opposite. Knowing meant you had the advantage.

" Here, have a drink and loosen up. You need it more than both of us since you never do." She offered with a joke.

She was right, I guessed. It was over, but it had taken forever, it seemed. Actually accepting the can, I popped the tab, and stared into the drink's ugly brown hue. Flashbacking seconds before I took a drink. Severino yelling and bellowing curses and scriptures from the bible, Fleur sitting there in silent consternation at the sight she didn't appear to ever expect to see.

" We won? They're all gone..." I remember hearing her murmur inattentively as she could do no more than stare at his threateningly irascible face, eyes searing whatever they saw.

" They can't get you, Fleur. None of them will ever be able to hurt you again." She had looked over to her right as if seeing Susie or Bastien there. Had they said something? Should I have asked her what it was that they had said? I, of course, didn't because I didn't want to remind her that they didn't exist in reality. Fleur didn't look as though she believed in reality then... or now even.

" Hey." Brought me back again. I really was worrying about Fleur and her mental state... how it wavered so dangerously and unpredictably.

" Drink up and live a little. We solved a case and saved lives." How many had she had? Her eyes didn't seem glazed, but her voice was off.

" You know, now that I think about it... I owe you my life." She started." Yeah, without you I'd still be in Marseille, France dealing with Avent and his horribly boring typicalness. I'd be stuck fearing for my life everyday and still, to this very day and so on, be fearful of sleeping at night like a regular person. Without you ...I'd be miserable." She gulped down the remainder of a daiquiri and I had another flash of the first time she came here.

" So, you're really going to stay?" This question obviously surprised her, and she glanced at me with a slight smile before opening her next beer. She never was consistent with anything she did unless it meant solving the case that had haunted her incessantly for an entire decade.

" Of course I'm going to stay. Didn't you hear a word of what I said? You helped me, I helped you. You saved my life, and I fell in love with you and all that other good stuff. Yes, I'm staying and you'll never be able to truly get rid of me. You're stuck with me until the zombiepocalypse." The strawberry blonde woman giggled.

" And you know what the best and most fantabulistic part is?" Oh no, she was using those words again.

" There's something better than everything else you just mentioned?" My curiosity was killing me.

" The zombiepocalpse will never come." Then she kissed me and for the rest of the night we talked and celebrated the end of the most detestable case I had ever taken on. After some time, she fell asleep sprawled out on the couch and I went back to searching for our next interesting endeavor.

The perfect end to what would seem impossible to perfect... which meant something was off and that we were missing or forgetting something that we had either underestimated or overlooked.

I turned my gaze to Fleur's sleeping form and realized almost immediately what it was.

She had to go and get help soon or else she'd end up like the people she talked about in her work.

Fin


End file.
